


Sealed Past

by AKarswyll



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Ranma 1/2
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Language, Reincarnation, Sexual Situations, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-02-07
Updated: 2006-02-07
Packaged: 2017-11-01 23:44:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 31,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/362603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKarswyll/pseuds/AKarswyll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Bone-Eater's-Well has been sealed by the Gods, leaving Kagome trapped within her own time, forever separated from her soulmate. But Kagome is not the only reincarnation about from the Feudal Era.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Title** : Sealed Past  
>  **Author** : A. Karswyll  
>  **Rated** : M  
>  **Summary** : The Bone-Eater's-Well has been sealed by the Gods, leaving Kagome trapped within her own time, forever separated from her soulmate. But Kagome is not the only reincarnation about from the Feudal Era.  
>  **Pairing** : Kagome Higurashi/Ranma Saotome (Inuyasha)  
>  **Warnings** : Language, Sexual Situations  
>  **Awards** : Nominated in December 2010 crossovers by [The Readers Have Chosen](http://thereadershavechosen.eternflame.com)

**Chapter 1**

Kagome watched the flowering branches of the Go-Shin-Boku(1) sway in the breeze as she lay on the sun dappled grass. Trying to absorb what she had just been told by the man that for years she'd viewed as an honorary uncle. Tilting her head to the side she shifted her gaze to the silver haired man beside her.

"So… you're actually Sesshoumaru-sama." Kagome said softly, only now clearly seeing the elegantly pointed ears, cheek stripes and crescent moon resting upon his brow beneath the concealment spell he wore.

"That is correct Kagome-san."

She drew in a shuddering breath and gazed skywards again. "Why are you here and not Inuyasha like he swore?"

The great dog demon hesitated, eyeing the young woman he knew both as an adversary in the Feudal Era and a beloved honorary niece in the 21st Century. Her voice was a dead monotone. Her brown(2) eyes were equally flat and dull. Perhaps it had not been wise to wait so long to tell her…

"I suppose I should begin in the Feudal Era. After your quest had been completed and your return because of Fates decree; the demon slayer and the Buddhist monk as you had hoped were eventually wed and it was they who founded the Higurashi dynasty."

Kagome blinked, Sango and Miroku were her ancestors?

"To honour the vow given to you and to them, the dog demons remained as their guardians, sometimes in fact, sometimes in spirit. It was not until the end of the 18th Century that it was realized that their descendents were actually your forefathers though. It was then that the Sunset Shrine came into your family and has remained ever since."

Kagome tried to puzzle through some of that, finally giving up to ponder later.

"As for us demons, we survived as we always do, although now we're more of a hidden society that exists along side the human one, with carefully placed operatives in all levels of the government throughout all nations to ensure that what we are is known to only a select few."

She'd wondered about that, what had happened to all the demons. But she's been so numb since her return and the sealing of the Bone-Eater's-Well.

"Shippou-kun has also survived and is currently the owner of an automobile corporation, called Toyota. He is also mated to a lightning demon of the Thunder Tribe that you may or may not remember whose name is Souten-san. He has grown up well and has actually become a nine-tails."

A faint smile curved her lips, so her child had grown up and married had he? She felt some of the muffled indifference of pain that had been surrounding her for so long finally beginning to fade.

"Inuyasha… my brother… he raised Shippou-kun as well as a father could, teaching him everything as he had promised you. He also stayed by the slayer's and monk's side, and that of their children, their children's children, and so forth. For it was him who often became the legal guardian of whatever child or children of your lineage that were orphaned due to the various wars and other incidents that have occurred these past five hundred years."

Inuyasha as a father… she couldn't quite picture it in her mind, but her heart knew that he would have been a parent any child would have wanted.

"He however was not quite content. The wait for you was not something that was easy for him to do. So I believe this is what drove him to his eventual death."

"Death?" Kagome's voice was curiously empty.

"He once said that it was only in battle that he could forget the heartache of not being miles but years apart. He died in World War II, killed not only by American demons, but by one of his own. A pure demon that despised being under the command of a half-breed, even if he was of noble blood."

"And these demons… what happened to them?"

The question seemed almost idle, but he could sense that if he told her they still lived, it would not be for long. "They did not survive either, my brother may have been half dead when they attacked, but he was still far more powerful than they could have ever dreamed of being."

Kagome's eyes grew empty. A tearing pain tore at her gut. The barrier that had protected her for so long crumbling like a sandcastle in the tide. No. He could not be dead.

Sesshoumaru saw the blood drain from her already too pale face. He could only hope that what he was going to say next would allow her to live with some hope. "However, it is known that he as been reincarnated sometime in this era."

"A reincarnation? Where?" Kagome asked sharply as she finally looked at him. Her heart was shattered once again but his words helped ease the devastation.

"Close, but who he is and the **exact** time, we are unable to say."

"How do you know this?" Kagome asked with honest curiosity for the first time, a fragmented memory of a promise made to her by the Fates themselves stirring.

_As we decree it shall be. Two made one. This one soul divided nevermore._

"There are men and women with the ability to scry the future and certain other facts."

"Demons?"

"No. Humans with magical abilities that have dealings with us. No demon has ever had the power to predict the future."

Silence descended and for long moments Kagome allowed herself to drift through her memories of the Feudal Era. It had been a hard time but one so simple compared to the 'civilisation' of today. With a combination of wistful acceptance and bittersweet longing she finally stored them away. Treasured though they were, they were still now only old memories. It was time to make new ones.

"I want to see my son."

Sesshoumaru nodded in acceptance of her words. Like his brother, this young priestess would grow and then the Fates would keep their promise to these two souls who they had destined for each other, and then so cruelly torn apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Go-Shin-Boku: the Sacred Tree/God Tree that is on the Sunset Shrine grounds, the very same tree that Inuyasha was pinned to over five hundred years ago by Kikyou's sacred arrow.  
> (2) Regarding eye colour, there are multiple pictures of Kagome with different shades of blue and violet or brown eyes, I have selected the colour brown for them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2  
**

Kagome watched the scenery outside the tinted window change from the crowded streets of the inner city, to the suburbs, and from that into the scenery of the country.

Almost a decade had passed since the Fates had sealed the gateway between times. And even though she'd gone on with her life, graduating from junior high, and then high school and finally entering a prestigious medical university, she hadn't really been **living**. She'd merely existed, going from one day to the next waiting, eternally waiting. Waiting for someone she'd learned today had been dead for over sixty years.

"Kagome-san?" Came the soft voice from one of the vehicle's occupants.

The young woman shifted her attention to the woman seated at Sesshoumaru's side, fingers laced with the great demons'. It still bemused Kagome ever time she saw the brunette woman. "Yes Rin-san?"

"We are sorry that we didn't tell you sooner," Rin's voice was a blend of compassion, sorrow, and remembered personal grief.

"I think I understand why," Kagome said with a soft sigh. "When the Bone-Eater's-Well was sealed I wasn't functioning very well." She gave a sour smile, remembering the grief that had caused her to lash out at those around her. "I don't think I could have handled knowing that not only would I never be able to return but that he was dead to you as well."

"It still doesn't make it easer does it?"

"No. It doesn't." Kagome replied as the chauffeured car approached the towering gates of a grand estate. "Whose home is this?" She asked idly, watching the manicured lawns and groomed gardens along the drive slide past her window.

"This is actually Shippou-kun's home."

"Shippou-chan's?" Kagome questioned with renewed interest. "I guess owning an automobile company pays."

"That it definitely does," Rin replied with a laugh, "But actually he lived here before he created the company. Because you see, this is the traditional seat of the Fox Lords, and as the oldest nine-tails in the Western Lands, Shippou-kun is undoubtedly the highest ranking Fox Demon Lord."

Kagome blinked, she still had some trouble remembering that not only was Shippou-chan now older then she was, he was also part of the demon nobility. A fact that she still had difficulty comprehending sometimes. Her son was all grown up. And she hadn't seen it.

. . .

Shippou nervously paced back and forth in the front foyer, running his hand though tousled russet hair. Nine tails twitching behind him with agitation.

"It's going to be alright," his wife soothed as she descended the curving stairway to his side.

Shippou turned towards her, suppressing a sound that was a cross between a growl of aggravation and a whine of worry.

"But what if she doesn't—"

She laid a finger against his lips, halting the flow of distressed words. "She loves you as only a mother can love her child. The years won't have changed that. And yes I understand your nervousness, but fretting is only going to make things worse."

Reaching up she straightened his ruffled hair as best she could. "I'm the one who should be worried. After all, the only time I met her we had just finished duelling each other in response to my formal challenge to avenge my brother's deaths."

Shippou snorted; a very un-fox like sound. "Souten, the Thunder Brothers were no great loss to the world."

"I know, but it's the principle of things that count."

Before he could form a reply their youngest came barrelling down the staircase. "They're here Papa! They're here!"

"Oh god," Shippou muttered a phrase that was either a curse or a prayer.

Souten rolled her eyes at her husband as she moved to open the front door. She would never admit it to Shippou, but she was as nervous as he was. Only she was nervous not only for herself, but for him as well. She knew how long he'd wanted this day to happen, and how badly he'd wanted it to go well.

Taking a bracing breath, she opened the door and watched as Sesshoumaru-sama's chauffeur opened the car door, and beautiful woman in her mid-twenties exited, dressed in a pastel-pink turtleneck and a full length denim skirt, her face serenely composed. Her first sight in over five hundred years of the woman her husband viewed as his mother.

Moments later Sesshoumau-sama and Rin-sama appeared behind the Shinto priestess and as a group they approached the stairs leading to the entrance where she stood.

. . .

"You must be Souten-san, Shippou-chan's wife," Kagome said as she offered her hand to the stunning woman with waist-length hair who stood in the doorway. Although she didn't see the thunder demon child she'd met in the woman before her, she did recognise the aura signature of an elemental demon.

"Kagome-sama, welcome to our home." The thunder demon replied formally, clasping the offered hand.

"Please, there is no need for titles." Kagome promptly replied; she was still uncomfortable being address as 'lady'. "After all, we are family."

"Kagome-san," the demon replied with a half smile, some tension unexpectedly seeming to ease. She stepped back from the open door and gestured inwards, "Please—"

A shriek cut her off as a confusing menagerie of bodies tumbled towards them.

"No! We want meet Grandma first!" This from a pair of fox twins.

"No! I do!" The second voice belonged to a fox kit no older than three.

"I'm eldest, I get to!" Was the command from a fox boy just leaving his adolescence.

"No! She's our Aunt, and we know her so _we_ get to meet her first!" This from a group of dog pups as they tussled with their fox cousins.

Kagome blinked in surprise. She'd wondered if Shippou had told his children about her and she guessed this mass of fighting demon children was her answer. Wait a minute—had they called her **Grandma**?

A sharp fox yip of command rang from the front of the hallway, echoed by a dog growl from behind her. Each commanded obedience. Instantly the squabbling stopped, the group of demon children sorted themselves out and stood at attention.

But her attention was no longer caught by her suddenly acquired grandchildren and nieces and nephews, but by the man standing near the end of the hallway.

Dressed in casual jeans and t-shirt, a head crowned by a mop of russet hair. Pointed demon ears barely visible though the strands, with multiple fox tails lashing the air behind him. His brilliant green eyes were locked with her own.

Her vision blurred as tears formed. "Shippou-chan." She whispered hoarsely, struggling to clear her sight.

Moments later she was unsure who'd moved first, but they were in each other's arms, clinging to each other. And Kagome no longer fought her tears as Shippou whispered Mama over and over again in her ear.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Damn kids." Kagome muttered angrily, picking her way through the wreckage in the local street market. She gave an aggravated sigh of disgust as she flipped raven coloured hair over her shoulder. "They were here again?" She sympathetically said to a fruit vender as she paused to help him pick up his scattered produce.

"Yes, it was those cursed Nerima Wrecking Crew(1)!" The man growled in angry frustration as he straightened his signs. "It doesn't matter what we do, those brats just won't stop! They're always fighting and never take into consideration what's in their path! It doesn't matter what it is. If it's in their way they just destroy it trying to kill each other!"

Kagome continued to nod in sympathy as she listened to him rant, privately wondering if perhaps it was time to invite her son home for the up-coming summer holidays. He could help clean this matter up.

"Thanks for listening to my troubles Higurashi-san." The vendor finally said as they got the last of the mess straightened and her weekly purchases had been made.

"It's no trouble at all. I'd like to get my hands on them myself." She replied with a warm smile.

"Wouldn't we all, wouldn't we all."

Chuckling at his response she picked up her bag and made her way to the next vendor's stall to help clean up and make her grocery purchases.

. . .

Slouched with his hands in his pockets, Ranma kicked the can in front of him as he made his way down the street. He was getting sick and tired of day in and day out the same old thing happening. Fighting, yelling, and trying to mediate between his three 'fiancées.'

God damnit, why'd the old bastard have to sell him off to half the Eastern world anyway? He was feeling more and more restless. Like there was something he could do or was suppose to do, but he just didn't know what it was. For a time, fighting with Saffron had seemed like the answer but now he knew that it was something else out there. Something else that would satisfy this restless discontent.

Kicking the can again he rounded a corner and gave an "Oomph!" of surprise as he ran into someone and was knocked nearly off his feet. The other person gave a similar sound of surprise as they were knocked to the ground, scattering the contents of the bags she'd been carrying.

"I'm sorry miss," Ranma said automatically as he dropped to the street to help her repack her bags.

"That's alright," she replied with an embarrassed laugh and smile, "I wasn't looking where I was going either." The groceries finally gathered and repacked they stood and eyed each other curiously.

He was briefly surprised to realise that this woman whose head just brushed the top of his chin, would have been as tall as he was months ago before the Saffron incident. Wearing a soft green turtleneck that hugged her torso and legs encased in form fitting jeans, her face was not stunningly attractive, but had a quiet beauty like Kasumi's with warm brown eyes.

Tilting her head back she in turn studied the young man wearing black kung-fu pants and a Chinese style red shirt. Tall and broad shouldered, he was almost a man, his face well defined and strong with his strength of character. His grey eyes also showed the strength of will and determination, and seemed to also hold a wealth of experiences.

"Thank-you for your help," she said softly with a bow of her head, "But if you'll excuse me I've got hungry mouths at home to feed."

"Of course," Ranma replied with a touch of shared embarrassment, "And once again I'm sorry for knocking you down."

Smiling again she gave another bow of the head and disappeared around the corner.

For long moments Ranma stood on the sidewalk, still confused by the incident. Oh, he'd been interested in girls before, but none had quite the effect on him like that woman had. Like there was something surreal about her. Staring at his feet he tried to figure it out. He blinked when he realized that he was staring at the woman's purse.

"Shit!" He swore aloud, it must have fallen out of the woman's pocket when she'd fallen. Picking the purse up he dropped it into the back pocket of his pants. If he hurried he might be able to catch up with her.

Turning around and jogging down the street he tried to spot the woman again. There she was he realized in relief as she walked around another corner. Picking up the pace, he dashed forward and rounded the same corner. She was already half way down the sidewalk, breaking into a run he yelled after her. "Excuse me Miss, but you dropped your purse!"

The woman paused in mid-stride and then turned around, allowing him to close the distance between them. "You forgot your purse." He said again as he dug it out and held it out to her.

"Oh! Thank you again. It was very kind of you to return it. Please let me repay you."

Ranma merely shook his head. He didn't really want any payment.

"But I insist, come in and at least let me give you a thank you meal."

"Come in?" Ranma asked puzzled as he glanced about. This side of the street was a steep hill thickly carpeted in trees.

"Yes, my family's shrine is just up ahead." She said, gesturing to the massive staircase in the hillside crowned by a Shinto torii(2).

Ranma's eyes nearly bulged out, she lived up **there**? Nodding in agreement to appease his sudden curiosity, he followed her to the foot of the staircase. "Just how many steps are there?"

"Ah… four-hundred ninety-nine, there use to be five hundred many years ago but when the city put the sidewalk in one of the stone steps was covered by the concrete."

. . .

Finally reaching the top, Ranma had to stop to catch his breath as he noticed with embarrassment that the woman wasn't even winded. He needed to put more stairs exercises into his fitness regime. The shrine grounds were large and elegantly kept, a sacred tree rose high above its neighbours, to one side was a small shrine house with its doors shut, to the other was a much larger temple. Away from them was a rather modern looking house.

"Could you get the door for me?" She asked once they reached the house. Nodding Ranma did as she asked, surprise that something that usually made him angry when Akane or one of the others asked him do it didn't bother him now.

"Oh, how silly of me," she said with laugh, "I haven't even introduced myself, I'm Higurashi Kagome."

"Saotome Ranma," he replied.

"Please to meet you Saotome-kun, right this way into the kitchen." Dropping the bags onto the counter, she made short work of the groceries and was soon moving about the kitchen making dinner as Ranma watched with a growing feeling of discomfort ****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Nerima Wrecking Crew: term that Ranma and company have been christen with as they reside within the Nerima Ward of Tokyo  
> (2)Torii: n. shrine gate


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Sliding another glance at her nervous and unexpected guest Kagome sighed, guessing what was really bothering him. "You can quit fidgeting you know," she said with amusement, watching as he started, "It's just the shrine's aura reacting with your curse."

"Curse?" He blurted out in surprise.

Kagome blinked and gave him a hard look, "You can't possibly tell me that you don't know you have a curse. It's strong enough that even my grandpa would be able to feel it, and his powers are nil."

"How can you tell?" He sounded surprisingly desperate.

"You're lit up like a beacon. Now admittedly someone with a strong spiritual aura would also have a strong inner light, like you, but yours is just… wrong." Kagome admitted. Thoughtfully she studied the young man, sensing that her frank speaking regarding 'curses' and the like was something that he was not unfamiliar with.

"Wrong how?" He asked curiously, wondering just what this stranger knew.

Kagome shrugged as she faced the stove, "Your colours are not natural and the aura vibrations that it's giving off feel all negative. I believe you might call it 'bad vibes.' How long have you had it? It's quite powerful, so I'm guessing a while."

Ranma shrugged, "A few years."

"A few years!" Kagome shrieked in surprise as she whirled to face him, "Why haven't you had it exorcised?"

"Exorcised?" He blinked stupidly.

"Don't tell me you don't know what exorcism is?"

Ranma shook his head.

"Argh! They don't teach kids anything in school any more!" She wailed in complaint as she turned back to her cooking.

A voice snorted. Turning Ranma saw a young man, about his age leaning against the kitchen doorway. Brown haired and eyed, wearing a dark blue uniform with the insigne of a private school on the breast pocket and shoulders, he didn't really have the appearance of an intellect but neither did he appear to be a fighter.

"Sis, not everyone's had the same education you've had."

"I know," the woman replied crossly, "But you'd at least think they'd listen to their elders!"

The teenager gave another snort of disgust as he shook his head at his sister's incomprehension. "Hi, I'm Higurashi Souta," he greeted holding his hand out.

Ranma shook it and replied, "Saotome Ranma."

"How'd you meet Kagome-chan?"

"We bumped into each other and when I forgot my purse he returned it to me." Kagome said shortly as she eyed her younger brother, who held up his hands in the universal sign of surrender. "Besides he's got a curse on him."

"Ah." Souta said with growing understanding, "Did he come for an exorcism?"

"He doesn't even know what a damn exorcism is!" Kagome snapped, ladling supper into bowls. "You explain it to him."

Souta blinked as he accepted his meal. "Okay." Turning to Saotome he simply said, "Exorcism is a fancy word they use that means to get rid of a curse."

Ranma dropped his bowl in shock, nearly spilling it all over himself, before steadying the container. "You can get rid of it?" His voice was squeaky.

"I can't," Souta said with irritation as he jerked his thumb at his chest before pointing to his sister. "But she can."

"H-how?" Ranma sputtered.

"I'm a Shinto priestess and part of my duties and abilities is purification. Curses fall under that category." Kagome explained simply as she paused in her eating before questioning. "What exactly is your curse anyway?"

"Do you really have to know?" Ranma asked warily.

"I do if I'm going to exorcise it." Kagome replied with amusement.

Ranma flushed red as he stared at the table before mumbling his answer.

"What!" Both siblings exclaimed in unison, looked at each other and then back at their guest.

"I think you'd better begin at the beginning." Kagome instructed, as she set her bowl aside and pulled out a pad and paper to begin taking notes. Something told her that this was going to take time, careful planning, and a whole lot of holy powers to complete.

. . .

Kagome leaned back and studied the young man before her in a mixture of amusement and confusion. "Okay, so let me see if I've got this right. You fell into a spring that was cursed and now whenever you're splashed by cold water you turn into a girl. When you're splashed by hot water you turn back into a guy."

"There is also a spring that could permanently turn you back into a guy but some guy named Saffron flooded the springs and mixed up the waters and now no one knows where the spring that has your cure is."

Ranma nodded in agreement as he sipped some juice. "So can you help me?"

"I'll have to do a deeper reading and some research before I begin, but yes, I do believe I can help you." Kagome said decisively as she flipped her notebook closed.

"Thank you," Ranma breathed reverently as he dropped his head into his hands. He could finally get rid of this blasted curse. He'd lived with it so long that it almost seemed unreal that it'd soon be gone.

"Don't thank me yet," Kagome said kingly, "Not until the exorcism is complete that is. I'd like you to come back tomorrow after school for the reading."

"Reading?" Ranma questioned curiously.

"Well… it's where I perform a small spell to help me see your auras more clearly. I can see them now, but it's all mixed up together. The spell will help me understand everything more clearly. You see, a curse is usually a spell that draws bad luck towards people. It doesn't change them physically. Your curse is almost like a possession, but it's also not, because a possession is where another soul tries or does take possession of another soul's form. When the curse is activated your physical body changes but not your character, you are from what you tell me, just yourself in a woman's body. A most unusual occurrence."

Ranma grimaced. Well—that was one way to describe it. Standing he gave his thanks to the Higurashi family and left their residence. As twilight slowly descended, he made his way down the stone staircase deep in though.

Should he tell the others about this? Especially those who were cursed as well? Something made him hesitate. He knew it was his family duty to his old man and also his duty to fellow martial arts practitioners. But he just didn't feel like telling anyone about the Higurashi's. There was something special about them that he didn't want the others to spoil. Maybe after his curse was removed he'd tell them then. Maybe.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Nabiki watched with curiosity well honed by her mercenary tendencies as Ranma left the school after the final bell had rung. Making his way not towards her family dojo as was customary but somewhere else in the city.

Last night he'd returned home at an unusually late hour and even refused the meal that Kasumi had saved for him, saying that he'd take it for his lunch tomorrow instead. Something was up. The Ranma she knew would never refuse food, especially not food that Kasumi had made.

There'd also been his personality last night. He'd seemed distant and preoccupied. He hadn't even gotten into a fight with Akane like usual. Although he'd been just as rowdy and annoying as ever this morning, using Kuno as his usual spring-board, somehow he also seemed tense with anticipation, like he couldn't wait for something to happen.

Had Ranma perhaps found a new opponent? It was the only thing at the moment that she could think of to explain his excitement. For it was only during a fight that he was as tense and excited as he'd been throughout the day.

. . .

Ranma knocked upon the entrance to the Higurashi house with a mixture of excitement and dread bubbling in his blood. He didn't know whether to be relieved or even more worried when Kagome opened the door wearing the traditional scarlet and white garments of a Shinto shrine maiden.

Kagome smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry about a thing, you won't feel anything. Come on," she said as she made her way past him to the shrine to perform the reading.

He hesitated in the shrine's entrance, a sense of power itching across his skin. Taking a deep breath to calm himself he entered the shrine, like the Tendo Dojo the floor was polished wood but there the similarity ended. There was an aura of hushed reverence about him and ancient style wick lanterns rested on their bamboo stands along the walls. Against the far wall was a traditional Shinto altar with sticks of incense already burning.

Kagome had seated herself with her back to the altar, facing the doorway and thus him. "It's alright just take a seat in front of me and relax. All you have to do is breathe, **I'll** have to do the work."

Stepping forward he did as she bid, settling in a comfortable position. He watched curiously as she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then exhaled. She seemed almost to freeze suddenly as she breathed out, as if she had simply turned into a statue.

. . .

Using her third eye Kagome studied the young man's jumble of auras with growing disgust. What the hell had he done to himself? This wasn't simply a Jusenkyo Curse as her Chinese informant had told her when she'd contacted her about it. The woman had been very specific about what it looked like and how best to exorcise it. This was a cluttered mass of… something else.

She read deeper. Now, that was the Jusenkyo Curse, definitely feminine and ill-fitting. That had to be his natural aura, masculine and natural feeling and these others…. Was that the taint of cat demons? And there, almost so faint it was only a hair of magic, the touch of a dragon demon.

What in the gods' names had he been doing? What's more, although they were separate things, they'd been in him so long that they'd started to weave themselves together. It was a good thing that she'd found him now. Who knew what condition he would have been in a few years from now? It would have probably taken a purification and not an exorcism to undo all the damage.

. . .

Ranma was startled out of his wits when Kagome's eyes flew open and she glared at him.

"What in bloody hell have you done to yourself?" She demanded angrily. "You don't just simply have a Jusenkyo Curse, but the cursed touch of a cat and dragon demon."

"What do you mean?"

"Everything's mixed up, like a cake for baking. If I'm going to get rid of one thing, I'm going to have to get rid of everything."

"You can?" He asked eagerly.

"Aye, but I have to know what I'm dealing with first." Kagome admitted with another glare, thoroughly disgusted with him. Didn't people know that even the best can't work properly if they don't know what they have to work with?

"Well… the cat demon you mentioned might it be the Neko-ken(1) training I received when I was a child?"

"You received training meant for demons when you were a child?"

"Yes, my old man instructed me in it."

Kagome's eyes narrowed, "Tell me. Are you afraid of cats?"

"Yes," he admitted.

Her eyes were almost completely slitted in outrage. "So not only did you receive training meant only for demons but it is incomplete! Good god, what was your father thinking? No don't answer that," she held up a hand to forestall his reply, "Something tells me I don't want to know."

"What do you mean demon training?" Ranma asked inquisitively.

"The Neko-ken was designed by and for cat demons. It is not meant to be learned by humans, I suspect the only reason you did survive is because you were unfortunately a child at that time, meaning that your mind and body were able to adapt to the demonic energy the technique produces."

"How do you know so much about demons?"

"They're a specialty of mine. Now tell me about the faint touch of dragon demon I can sense in you."

"I accidentally ate the whisker from a dragon."

"Oh…" she sighed, pressing a fist to her forehead, "And what does it do?"

Ranma pulled his pigtail to the side, "It makes my hair grow really long, really fast and the only reason it's not growing right now is because its magic is being countered by another dragon whisker I'm using to tie it."

Kagome let lose a long, aggravated groan as her head slumped forward into her hands and moaned. "This is going to take longer than I thought. Give me demons to purify any day, they're less demanding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Neko-ken: lit. "Cat-Fist," is the result of Genma's insensitive training when Ranma was a child. Ranma has an extreme fear of cats. If he is around cats long enough, he begins to act just like one as a way to cope. Ranma is very powerful while in this state and is able to shred objects with his bare hands. He can also be quite playful. This resulted in his and Akane's first kiss. ( _Cited from "Ranma ½: Perfect Edition."_ )


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Kagome looked up the broad steps leading to the local library with amusement as she watched Ranma pace back and forth beside the doors. "Looks like you were right Souta; he's never been to the library before."

Souta merely grinned with evident satisfaction at winning their personal bet.

"I'll see you at home tonight, and remember to tell Mama that I may be late."

"'Kay, see ya later." Souta gave a nod of acknowledgement before continuing on his way.

Kagome mounted the steps and smiled in greeting to the agitated teen that waited for her. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Yeah, well…" Ranma mumbled as he scuffed a foot against the ground.

"Come on, what we're going to be doing is researching traditional Shinto exorcism methods. Hopefully we'll find something that will work, and if we don't we will have to look for other, less conventional methods." Kagome explained as they entered the library.

"Um, if you're a priestess, why do we have to do this? Can't you just get rid of them?" Ranma asked as he warily looked at the shelves upon shelves of books before him.

"Yes, I am a trained priestess, and I could 'just get rid of them', but it would be a really bad idea. I haven't performed many exorcisms and they're a rather delicate spell to do properly." She replied, running her fingers across book bindings, browsing through the titles.

"How's that?" He asked curiously as she began to load books into his arms.

"Um… how to explain this… Performing an exorcism without proper preparation is like performing a surgery with a chainsaw instead of a scalpel."

"Ouch," Ranma winced at the comparison.

"Yes, definitely, ouch. To compound the problem further, I'm used to performing purifications, which is definite chainsaw work."

"What?"

"All purification requires is a blast of power that eradicates everything." She answered, placing one last book onto the pile before moving towards the tables.

"Ah."

Kagome chuckled at his expression as she gestured for him to put down the books and have a seat. "Don't worry. I have no intention of blasting you anytime soon, which is why we have to do research."

. . .

With a growl of frustration Ranma shoved the book away from him, complaining. "This guy doesn't make sense!"

"Who's it by?" Kagome asked idly as she continued to scan the book she held. Within twenty minutes she'd been able to tell that not only had her younger companion never been in the library, he didn't read much and hadn't developed the ability to skim read. A useful technique most students developed when their course load was text heavy.

But they had time, and she expected to read all the books herself, so she wasn't too upset about his slow reading. She'd brought him to help him feel involved anyway, not because she was expecting much assistance with the research.

"Some old woman that claims to be a bat," Ranma said with disgust, reading the short biography provided in the back.

"Is her name Shiori?"

"Yes, how'd you know?"

"She is one."

"She's one what?" Ranma asked in confusion.

"She is a bat," Kagome said as she finally looked up at him, "A bat demon to be more precise."

"A bat demon?" He replied with a blink.

"What, did you think that the only demons are dragons, like the one whose whisker you swallowed? Our history is full of the mythology of fox demons, raccoon dog demons, and other demonic creatures. What's so strange about other animals also having demon counterparts?"

Ranma shrugged. "Don't know, never really though about it."

"Well start thinking about it. These books are ones that are publicly acceptable, meaning that the materials have been carefully edited by demon publishers or written by quacks with no genuine credentials. There are others in private collections that we will be researching that are real, written by demons and spell-casters, and dangerously powerful if they were ever found by a 'normal' human."

"Dangerous?"

"Let's just say they contain truths that humanity would be unable to accept."

"Oh…"

"But enough of that, it's getting late and I still have to write an essay so I'll see you here tomorrow as at the same time?"

"Yeah, sure." Ranma replied with an unconcerned shrug, frowning slightly as he remembered his own pile of schoolwork.

"You got homework to?" She asked curiously, stacking the books.

He nodded warily; hoping she wouldn't nag him like his fiancée's did about getting it done on time.

"Bring it next time and we'll take a break from researching to get some done." Kagome suggested.

Ranma grimaced with distaste. He really didn't want to do any homework. Where was the point? In math they were doing proofs, and what was the point of proving something that they already knew was true?

She eyed his repulsed expression and guessed that schoolwork was not one of his favourite things. "I've always though of schoolwork like this. You only have to do it once, so you might as well do it well, and never have to do it again. You may say 'What's the point?' for some stuff. But what's the point in repeating an assignment, let alone a grade?"

"Huh," Ranma grunted. He'd never though of it like that before.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Lying on the Tendo's roof, Ranma pondered the past events. Nearly a month had passed since he'd bumped into Kagome and since then his time after school and usually through supper time, had been spent at her shrine or the library, helping her research the spell required and locating the ingredients needed for his exorcism.

Tonight though she'd asked that he stay home, saying that she needed to see some people who wouldn't be willing to see her if he accompanied her. Having met some of the characters she knew, some of them strangely enough true demons, kept him from being insulted at her request.

Toutousai, one of the few remaining craftsmen of demonic weapons had been a particularly interesting character. Frustrating as hell to talk to, but when he started to ramble it was mind boggling the information that came pouring out. No wonder the demon smith rarely made sense and tended to ignore his surroundings. He had enough trouble keeping track of what was in his head; let alone what was going on around him.

Then there'd been the raccoon dog, Hachimon or something. He'd seemed to be nothing more than an old peddler, but he'd possessed some herbs and objects of other magical properties that he'd been positive Nabiki would have been able to sell for a very large fortune. How Kagome had dealt with him had been the most forceful she'd been yet. Hand it Over, Or get Purified. He had to admit, it had worked brilliantly.

There was Shiori, who Kagome had told him was one of the most ancient hanyou living. The presence of the old bat was awe inspiring, and he wasn't her insulting when he called her an old bat either, for she **__was__** one. She'd agree to cast the exorcism barrier, for it had been decided a demonic one was required to insure that the cursed auras within him were not unduly upset by the exorcism ceremony until it was too late to react.

He was fascinated by this new world. A world of demons and magic that Kagome was introducing him into. It felt familiar, like he may have found what he'd been looking for.

One thing that he'd been dismayed to learn however was that Saffron, who the Chinese Amazons had mistakenly called a demi-god was actually just a lowly demon that nobles, like Shiori ignored unless irritated by their presences and then they killed them. Shiori had consoled him with the fact that although he was merely a simple human, and hindered by his multiple curses as he was, he'd done a remarkable job and had done nothing to be ashamed of.

Sighing, he shifted his thoughts to how meeting Kagome had begun to change him personally. It was odd to talk with her in some ways. It felt so natural and he often found himself telling her more than he usually felt comfortable talking about. She sympathized with his fiancée plight and laughed at the numerous antics that those around him constantly indulged in. Her comments though had also made him see just how childish they all acted.

His hypocritical old man hyping on and on about 'family honour' and a 'son's duty to his father.' Well, what about a father's duty to his son?

Tendo Soun's incessant wailing about the future of the Tendo School of Martial Arts. He should give it a break already. His daughters were perfectly capable of carrying on the tradition themselves.

Akane with her hair trigger temper. So quick to target him and her continual denial of his innocence when he wasn't at fault. There might have been a chance of something between them in the very beginning, but that notion had been bashed, poisoned, and kicked out of him long ago.

Hibiki Ryoga with his constant and now meaningless challenges and his claims that it was always him, Ranma, who was the one at fault. He didn't know whether to hate or admire the bastard for his persistence. But still, wasn't it time that Ryoga just left him alone?

Kuonji Ukyo, she was one of the few he could truly call 'friend' but even she had her faults, especially with this fiancée thing. What she clung to was nothing more then a wistful dream as substantial as smoke. He wasn't agreeing to marry anyone.

Shampoo, constantly egged on by her great-grandmother Cologne, was more of a harassing stalker than anything else. Didn't those bitches get it yet? He wasn't and never would be married to Shampoo and he wasn't the old hag's 'son-in-law'.

Kuno Tatewaki's infatuation with his curse form and his equal hatred of his true body. And Kodachi was the opposite, infatuated with him and despised his curse form. Didn't those two get it yet? He was one person!

God damnit! Couldn't they just **__all__** give it up? He wasn't a prize to be fought over and won!

"Ranma-kun?" A feminine voice called out cautiously.

Tilting his head back to look at the open trapdoor leading to the roof he was flabbergasted to see of all people, **__Kasumi_ _** standing there.

"Yes Kasumi-san?" Ranma replied, confused by her presence. He rarely saw her outside of the kitchen nowadays.

"Can I come up?" She asked with her customary faint smile.

"Sure," he answered as he sat up and watched her cross the roof cautiously to his side.

Tucking her skirt beneath her legs the eldest Tendo daughter sat on the shingles and stared up at the stars for a long moment before beginning. "You've changed this past month Ranma-kun."

"Wha'dya mean?" He replied warily, instantly closing up.

"You've finally started to grow up."

Ranma frowned, what'd she mean by that? He'd started to grow up? Wasn't he already grown up?

"You've stopped taking offence at everything everyone says. You've lost your regular belligerence and are actually nice to people now."

Ranma looked at her guardedly underneath lowered brows. So? What point was she trying to make?

"Your new personality and demeanour is upsetting everyone else."

Why the hell should they be upset? They were always bugging him to 'grow up' anyway.

"Cause you see Ranma-kun, you've grown up and they haven't." Kasumi replied simply as she finally looked at him.

Ranma blinked, not really understanding what she was trying to tell him.

"You've changed and in a way surpassed them. They're still stuck in their own worlds that revolve around them and what they want, and they don't know how to deal with this change in you."

Oh, so maybe that was why everyone seemed to be getting more violent lately. He though it was because he wasn't home during the evenings anymore.

"Oh don't be mistaken, they're upset not only about the change in you but the change in your habits as well. When attending school you don't goof off anymore, you're actually paying attention in class and making better grades. The only phone calls we've gotten this month about you are from the teachers who are wondering what's happened to you, not phoning to complain. Nabiki said she also saw you going into the library one day."

So what? It was just a library. He'd needed to research some stuff for his exorcism.

"You also still fight when really pissed off, and still beat them, but you're not using any new techniques like they thought you were learning all those times you disappeared. And not being able to find you like they regularly could before really makes them angry. And that anger is feeding their fear."

"Fear of what?" Ranma finally asked cautiously.

"Fear of losing you." Kasumi replied simply, "Because when you finish growing up, they won't be able to hold onto you anymore. You will have outgrown all of their petty arguments, all their petty fighting. And they'll be forced to realize just how very childish and foolish they have been."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Ranma shifted nervously from one foot to the other, this was the night. Biting his lower lip he watched as Kagome finished painting the last ritual symbols onto the shrine floor.

"Okay, ready?" She asked as she lifted up her hakama's pant legs to insure that none of the writing was smudged by accident and stepped into an inner circle to face him.

He nodded nervously and swallowed. Praying desperately that this would work. Some of the items that were required were things right out of legend, literally. The fur of the fire-rat, the Stone Bowl of Buddha, the Swallow's Cowrie Shell, the Divine Sprig, and the Dragon's Crystal.(1)

"Don't worry," Kagome reassured as she picked up the Mirror of Life and held it before her as she faced him.

"Wait—what about the Shikon-no-Tama? I thought you said its power would be needed."

"I **am** the Shikon-no-Tama." Kagome said softly as around them the items and emblems began to glow.

"What?" Ranma asked in disbelief as Kagome began the exorcist chant. But that was impossible. The legends that he'd read and Kagome's grandfather had told him was that it was a jewel, not a person!

The eerie mantra rose in the air, the language one unlike anything he'd ever heard. The air was sucked violently from his lungs as a wind tunnel whipped about them for a brief moment, shattering the glass of water at his feet. Spilling the droplets of water all about him.

He felt the shift of physical self that always accompanied the activation of the Jusenkyo Curse. His anxiety increased, when suddenly not only could he see his reflection in the ancient mirror Kagome held, but it was his true, male form he saw, black hair with grey eyes.

The chant continued to rise and fall as power built within the shrine. He stared as Kagome began to glow, a bright, pale pink light emanating from her chest. Her whole appearance took on a mythical, otherworldly aura.

He watched in a combination of fear and fascination as slowly, his reflection in the mirror began to change. His masculine features were slowly melting into more feminine ones, until the mirror matched the appearance of his Jusenkyo Curse, red hair with the same grey eyes.

Unexpectedly Kagome gave the mirror a sharp twist to the right. Inside he felt a corresponding yank and then something gave way. His eyes widened as he sucked in his breath, it felt like something long abused had just been relocated. The relief was instantaneous.

Suddenly his eyes watered as a burning sensation radiated throughout him, an intensely painful sensation that dragged him into the blackness of unconsciousness.

. . .

"Shit, shit, **shit**!" Kagome let loose a long string of curses as she knelt beside Ranma and rolled him onto his back. When she'd been in the exorcism induced trance she'd felt something else give within Ranma's soul, something that was not meant to be removed.

When she'd come to herself, Ranma had been lying on the floor in his male form while wet so she knew that the Jusenkyo Curse had been successfully removed… as had something else. It was that 'something else' that worried her.

"Kagome-sama? Is everything all right?" A voice asked as the demon barrier projected by Shiori came down around them.

"I need you to go get Shippou-chan, Shiori-san," Kagome ordered the bat noble as she attempted to wake Ranma. "Something went wrong."

"Of course priestess," the bat hanyou replied with a bow of her head before giving a sharp nod of command to her followers for them to leave the Sunset Shrine and do the Shikon-Priestess' bidding.

"Souta-chan!" Kagome cried out, and soon heard the sound of her brother's feet pounding into the shrine.

"What happened Kagome-chan?" Souta asked anxiously as he saw the passed out form of his new friend, with his sister leaning over him.

"I don't know. But something happened that wasn't supposed to." Kagome replied, "Help me get him into the house. He can rest easier there until Shippou-chan gets here."

. . .

Fragments of memories flickered through his mind. Disjointed pieces of an incomplete whole.

Framed by a full moon the man stood. Long snowy hair cascaded down the figure's back, red tattoos stood out like flesh wounds on high cheekbones. A blue crescent moon on the figure's forehead contrasted sharply with slitted cold eyes a gold colour only seen in the most deadly of predators. The same man working industriously at a desk with wire-rimmed glasses perched upon his nose as pups tumbled about his feet.

_Brother…_

A glowing jewel that pulsed with its power resting on a shrine altar. A Shinto priestess standing before a _torii_ as an arrow was loosened from its string. Black hair blowing in the wind, dark eyes full of tears.

_Betrayed…_

An enemy who constantly changed his form. His scent as elusive to track as the wind itself was. Dark haired with demonic red eyes. He was evil incarnate given a physical body.

_Betrayer…_

A young monk carrying a shakujou. Handsome face smiling even with the red print of a hand against his cheek. Rosary around his fist removed, hand cast out as demonic magic created a vortex of winds that sucked everything into a black nothingness.

_Friend…_

The bite of fox magic as a young one-tailed kit struggled to learn his magic. A head crowned with a reddish mop of hair. Green eyes gleaming with mischief, his face wreathed with a smile from his praise. Oil smeared across a cheek as the kit worked on an engine.

_Son…_

A brown haired woman wearing the garments of the demon exterminators as a giant bone boomerang whistled through the air. Dressed in simple summer clothes, the demon weapon resting beside her as she played with a two-tailed cat demon.

_Friend…_

The priestess again, only she no longer wore the garments of her station. Feeling the pain radiate throughout his body as she activated the subduing curse place upon him. The sensation of her soft hands stroking his head as his human body fought the poison injected into him.

_Woman…_

The woman with tears of pain and frustrations in her eyes and voice, a pain that he caused. Slumping to the ground with her own arrow in her back. The soft feel of her lips against his as the demon nature raged within, turning his vision red.

_Bitch…_

Sitting on the edge of an ancient well, her pureness like nothing he'd ever known. Kneeling beside him and offering him comfort as he wrestled with the knowledge of what his demon nature was capable of. Body entwined with his as they rested beneath a star strewn sky, a soul promise made.

 _Mate_...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Refer to "InuYasha the Second Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass." _Edit Note:_ Also, thank you to larkagurl2 for pointing out that I missed one of the sacred objects! Its people like you who pay attention to the details that really make us writers better at our craft.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Kagome dipped the cloth into the water basin and wrung out the excess moisture before placing it on Ranma's forehead again. Night had fallen and the full moon's light spilled through the room's window and flooded across the bed.

Kagome gave a soft sigh as she stared at the moon's white surface. So many memories. Some of them bad, but so many of them precious. She only hoped that whatever her exorcism spell had done was not dangerous for this young man.

Reaching across to rewet the cloth, she started when Ranma's hand closed around her wrist like a vice without warning.

"Ranma-kun! You startled me." Kagome scolded as she gave her hand a tug. There was no response from the teenager lying on the bed. "Ranma-kun?"

A growl rumbled deep in his throat as his eyes snapped open. Grey irises turning an iridescent blue as the whites of his eyes bled crimson. Jagged lines faintly appeared upon his cheekbones before darkening to a sinister burgundy.

Kagome sucked in her breath as she stared in shock at the transformation occurring. A demonic transformation that she had not seen in over a decade.

The growl deepened into a full throated snarl as he tackled her to the floor. Canine teeth sharpening into real fangs, he bared them at her as he trapped her beneath his own body.

He tilted his head from side to side, seeing her and yet not seeing her. Lowering his head he sniffed from underneath her jaw to the delicate bones of her collarbone.

Kagome's breath hitched in her throat as his tongue warmly retraced his earlier actions.

" **Mine!** " The word was a snarled command.

. . .

Shippou shook hands with Souta when he opened the door in warm greeting. "Long time no see Uncle." The fox demon teased.

Souta rolled his eyes, his honorary nephew never failed to capitalize on the irony of this situation. Even though he knew that it had been five hundred years since Kagome had actually been older than the demon child she'd somehow adopted, Shippou still insisted on calling her 'mother' and everyone else by their relationship titles.

God help him if he ever had to **really** explain the situation to his schoolmates. Having them hear Shippou call him uncle earned enough reactions as it was. The man was over five hundred years old but as he was a nine-tails he appeared to be only in his very late teens or early twenties depending on the circumstances.

"So Mama actually had a spell go wrong?" Shippou asked as they made their way down the hallway and up the stairs to the spare room.

"From what she's told me, it didn't really go **wrong** , she just overshot the mark and exorcised something she shouldn't have."

"Ah…" Shippou responded wisely, yes, that was often the problem with his mother's incantations. They had too much power behind them, not too little as was usual in the magic community in these modern times. Being the Shikon-Priestess really had its disadvantages sometimes. She was really much better suited for purification rituals.

Giving a perfunctory knock on the door, they both walked through the doorway and froze in shock at the picture before them.

A demon crouched over the still form of Kagome. Demonic energy radiating off of him. As visible as heat waves on rock during a hot summer's day. A canine growl vibrated in his chest. Fangs rested dangerously close to Kagome's throat.

With a snarl of his own, Shippou leaped at him, the demon instincts to protect one's family taking over.

The unknown demon lashed out, the powerful physical and energy attack catching him full in the chest.

Shippou shucked in a breath as he smashed against the door frame, knocking Souta from the room. And realized from the demonic aura that the demon he faced was a great lord.

"What do you want with my mother?" Shippou hissed in demon, as he pressed a hand to the bloody claw marks that marred his chest. The human concealment spell he wore dropping from him, revealing the nine fox tails that lashed restlessly about behind him.

The demon merely shifted position, staying firmly between Kagome and himself.

Staring at the demon's unusual eyes, Shippou realized that he was in thrall, caught up in his demon instincts between forms. Luckily as long as one remained motionless, a thralled demon would not initiate an attack.

As long moments passed and his heartbeat slowed, intellect taking over demon instincts as Shippou realized something.

The demon's demeanour towards Kagome was more protective than threatening. Even when he had attacked, the demon had not moved. Meaning that he would have remained as a shield between Kagome and his own impulsive attack.

And then there was the demon's scent. It was the mixture of a dog demon and a human, not unlike the smell of a hanyou but different all the same. It was the essence of that smell however that nearly knocked the feet from under him. His **father's** …?

"Mama?" Shippou said softly and very gently, trying not to aggravate the demon.

"Yes?" She replied softly, not taking her eyes off the demon that had his clawed hands wrapped around her arms and held her against him and pinned to the floor.

"I want you to say Father's special word, the one that would activate his rosary spell."

"Why?"

"Just say it please," Shippou insisted quietly.

"Okay," she replied with obvious confusion and snapped out the command. " **Osuwari!** "(1)

The demon's reaction could not have been more immediate then if the true rosary spell had been cast. He flinched and let loose a loud whine as he released his grip on Kagome. Curling into a defensive ball much like a puppy would.

"My god," Kagome breathed as she sat up, her eyes wide with disbelief. "It can't be…"

Shippou found it to difficult to believe as well. Was this truly his father's reincarnation as promised?

Kneeling beside the demon, Kagome brushed his black hair back from his face and wasn't really surprised when he burrowed closer to her. Acting very much like a young pup that had just been badly chastised. The markings were slowly fading, as his whimpers grew quieter and quieter.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome dropped the magical barrier she'd kept between herself and the world since her separation from her dead love. The Shikon's power within howled with recognition of its bearer's other soul half. Tears streamed from her eyes and down her cheeks to drop onto the head resting on her lap.

"It's him," she whispered through her tears, "It's Inuyasha."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Osuwari: vb. sit


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

When he woke he could feel the hot warmth of the sun on his face. Inhaling deeply, he was unsurprised to smell another person beside him. Opening his eyes slowly, his head pounding and body aching to the bone, he looked up at Kagome's dark eyes as she leaned over him, straightening the bedsheets.

"Who am I?" He asked, knowledge and memories he had no personal experience of crowding his head.

"You are still Saotome Ranma, a practitioner of and heir to the Saotome's School of Indiscriminate Grappling(1). But you are also the reincarnation of a half-breed dog demon that was born during Japan's Feudal Era." Kagome explained as simply as she could for now. More detailed explanations could be given later.

"You are also a reincarnation," he stated as he traced a hand along her side, along a scar he knew of, but had never seen. A scar from a centipede demon after a jewel that had been within her body.

"Yes," she breathed, stilling under his touch, "I to, am a reincarnation."

"As we decree it shall be. Two made one. This one soul divided nevermore." He quoted aloud, the words and their meaning echoing deep within his soul. His hands continued to trace the scars he knew her clothing shielded from his sigh.

"You came to our—my— **his** world through time travel. Together a pack was formed and an evil was defeated. The quest was given to you by the Gods themselves." Ranma mustered with unfocused eyes, "But it cost you and him each other. So the very Gods gave you an oath that the soul bond between you would be fulfilled as they had so long promised."

Kagome nodded at the summary of events that had occurred years ago, her eyes closed. Ranma could feel her trembling against his finger tips.

"Now I have something of dilemma. I understand now why you were so insistent that you weren't Kikyou. You were the same soul, but a different entity. You also didn't have her memories like I have his. And for some reason, his identity feels more natural than my identity now… perhaps it was because I lived for so long as a half-breed demon." Ranma muttered almost philosophically. "And then there's my life **now** as Saotome…. What do you want me to do Kagome?"

Kagome's eyes gleamed with unshed tears as she looked at him. "The choice is yours to make Ranma-kun. I cannot make it for you."

Ranma nodded, somehow it was the answer he'd expected. Unlike his family and friends that almost seemed to fight over him as if he was some prize to be won, the life Kagome was offering him was preordained. But he had in a previous life actually **chosen** that path. And that made all the difference of the world to him.

. . .

Kasumi looked with worried eyes from the kitchen doorway at the subdued group that had gathered in her family living room, eyes watching the clock as it relentlessly ticked away time.

Her father and Saotome-kun weren't even making an effort to appear involved in their shōgi(2) game as Nabiki flipped restlessly through one of her many magazines. Most unusually, the three infamous fiancée's were all seated around the table without engaging in all out war, morosely sipping tea.

There was a reason for the gloom that had settled onto the Tendo house and its name was Ranma. He had not returned home last night.

Late last night she'd called _Ucchan'_ s(3) first, only to learn from Ukyo that she hadn't seen him. A phone call to the _Nekohanten_ (4) had revealed similar results. Soon afterwards, the two girls had shown up expressing their own concerns over his disappearance.

In the beginning, they had been confident that perhaps he'd been delayed and she'd just been overreacting, then as the night had passed, they had started blaming each other as the reason for Ranma missing status, but as the night had passed into dawn the squabbling between the three young women had halted. Their primary thoughts concerned with worry over Ranma's unexplained absence.

Another day had past and though they'd attended class in the hopes that he to would be at school, when he had failed to appear they had gathered at the Tendo's once again. The sun was beginning to set as night settled and still no sign of Ranma.

Hearing the unexpected snick of the front door being opened, heads swung from watching the clock to the entrance. There was a moment of tense silence before the door was pushed inward to reveal Ranma in the doorframe.

" **Ranma!** " A mass of voices chorused, anger being the predominate emotion displayed.

The black haired boy flinched mentally and physically from the aggravating volume.

"Where've you been?" Akane demanded crossly as she surged to her feet and glared at him. Ukyo and Shampoo voicing similar demands as they to surged too their feet.

Ranma fixed curiously unfocused eyes in their direction.

Kasumi and Nabiki exchanged curious frowns, each noticing with their own particular awareness, motherly in the first and mercenary in the later, that Ranma appeared… not sick per say, but decidedly… off balance.

Kasumi frowned, yes, 'off balance' was the best way to describe him at the moment. Ranma's skin was pale, grey eyes unfocused, and his face blankly mask-like, a facial expression common in someone that had just received a severe emotional shock.

"Ranma? Are you sick?" Her question brought a surprised halt to the demands being piled upon him by the three girls.

Akane looked at her sister, confused by the question until she really **looked** at her family's house guest, finally noting what Kasumi and Nabiki had already seen.

"Do you want me to call Dr. Tofu?" Kasumi continued to ask in a motherly tone of concern.

Ranma just shook his head as he finally stepped forward, heading for the stairs at the opposite end of the room that led to the bedrooms.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

Ranma just gave a nod, his disconnection from everyone growing more evident.

"Do you want anything to eat?"

Ranma gave another shake of his head as he continued to walk toward the stairs.

Deeply disconcerted by her airen's(5) uncharacteristic personality, the Chinese Amazon turned on Akane, the most convenient source for her anger. "What did mean tomboy do to airen?"

"I didn't do anything to Ranma you idiot!" Akane angrily snapped back, as the two women turned on each other in an attempt to turn the unfamiliar to the familiar, shouting at each other across the table. Her temper spurred, Akane lunged at her purple haired opponent, knocking the kettle of now cold tea water onto the Amazon.

Everyone froze as in a puff the form of the Chinese girl was replaced with a fluffy haired cat who gave a vocally surprised, "Meow."

Heads frantically swung in Ranma's direction. He stood with one foot suspended over the first step.

A feline Shampoo trembled in the puddle of tea water surrounding her as carefully Ranma placed his foot back onto the floor before he turned slowly to look straight at her.

Breaths sucked in, the occupants of the room began to edge away from the pending explosion.

He was unnatural silent, as for the first time that night, his grey eyes really focused on something. Nerve wracking seconds dragged by, as slowly they heard the build up of a low almost canine growl deep in his chest.

Suddenly his grey eyes turned eerie blue as the whites bled crimson. Lips curled back in vicious snarl to bare unexpectedly canine like fangs.

Shampoo, far more sensitive in her cursed animal form, felt the alien presence roll over her in harshly drowning waves, swamping her in pure, unchecked, terror. The aura chokingly strong and menacing even to those who only had their martial artists senses to rely upon.

Kasumi stepped back into the kitchen and seized the pot of simmering water that was always left on the stove since the Saotome's arrival. Whirling around, she dashed the contents across the room straight at Shampoo.

Another puff and the trembling cat became a trembling Amazon.

The… 'presence' vanished. Ranma creased snarling, exhaling heavily as his eyes drifted closed. Wrapping his own arms around his torso, he gave a full body shudder before opening his eyes once again, turning back around and mounted the steps to his room.

The two men and five women left in the room, all deeply shaken by the events that had just occurred exchanged unnerved wide-eyed looks ****.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) "School of Indiscriminate Grappling" is also referred to as "Anything Goes School," I am personally referencing from Viz manga translation.  
> (2) Shōgi: n. Japanese chess  
> (3) Ucchan's: the name of Ukyo's restaurant  
> (4) Nekohanten: trans. Cat Café, the dinner run by the Chinese Amazons  
> (5) Airen: (Cantonese) husband


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Ranma slowly emerged from sleep, awareness seeping into his conscience. His mind foggy, only remembering through the haze with some clarity the exorcism from two days ago and snippets of conversation with Kagome after The Incident.

Chaotic images flashed through his mind. Martial Art tournaments. Demons and monks battling. Grey buildings that speared into the sky. Castle fortresses and flat rice fields. Samurai and bandits. Kids in school uniforms. A mountain valley of springs.

Desperately he pushed them all aside, focusing on what **his** senses were telling him instead of theOther inside.

Movement in the house as others awakened, the sounds of the never sleeping city outside his window, the light clatter of pots as Kasumi began breakfast in the kitchen.

The Othergrowled at being ignored, forcing itself forward for it would not be ignored or denied. His senses expanded tenfold.

Nabiki was in the bathroom, muttering something about his actions last night while in the shower. His old man was on the dojo porch with Soun as _shōgi_ pieces whispered across the board. Akane was in her room dragging a brush through her hair. And someone was approaching his room from the roof.

Eyes snapped open to look at the beams above his head, tracking the soft **male** footsteps above him. A combined animal and human growl escaped from his throat as his nostrils flared. Past and present blending together.

" **Happousai.** "

. . .

Happousai chuckled soundlessly as he sneaked over the Tendo's roof, only a few drops of water dropping from the overfull bucket he carried. He'd missed the boy last night but intended to make up for it today.

Swinging over the eaves he swung through Ranma's window—and was seized by a strong hand that slammed him back against the frame. Eyes bulging he looked up at the form holding him pinned against the wall. Ranma had never been able to catch him before.

Canines bared as a growl rumbled in his chest, Ranma snarled, "Morning old bastard."

The founder of the School of Indiscriminate Grappling would have squeaked if he could. All that emerged was a muffled sound from beneath the hand that was wrapped around his throat.

Ranma shook his body like a dog would. Drops of water sprayed about as they were shook off, some droplets landing on his captive's face.

Impossible though it seemed, Happousai's eyes widened even more until they were fairly bulging from his head. The bucket of water **had** been spilt upon Ranma when the boy had seized him, but he was still a **guy!** When the hell had the boy gotten rid of the Jusenkyo Curse?

A chuckle like growl issued from Ranma's throat as he sensed his captive's surprise. He stood, hoisting his old man's "master" into the air as he did so. His expression shifted unexpectedly, to one of puzzlement.

Happousai tried to squirm away as Ranma hauled him closer and **sniffed** him!

"Flea?" The tone was curious as the hand around his neck loosened a touch.

Happousai blinked and swallowed hard as he started up at Ranma's face, only **now** sensing that there was **definitely** something different about the boy's aura. No one, not even his two prize students knew of his heritage, but to have the boy guess it through **scent** meant only one thing….

The senior martial artist cautiously poked at the boy's aura, turning pasty white when it—whatever 'it' was—poked back. Realisation struck. There was now something **truly** demonic within the boy.

Ranma shook his head, fighting something inside as he dropped the School of Indiscriminate Grappling's Creator to the floor. Happousai wasted no time in fleeing. Throughout his long years he had had the misfortune to encounter those who were of purer demon blood or even those of demon souls.

Whatever Ranma had become, it would be best to stay out of the boy's way until the division between 'man' and 'animal' was settled.

. . .

Genma glanced over at his son as the boy entered the dojo, also keeping a close eye on his _shōgi_ partner to insure that some pieces didn't 'miraculously' move. He snorted as he saw that like last night, the boy had his arms wrapped around his torso and a definitely unfocused expression on his face.

Those were the actions of a weakling and that shudder last night? Unacceptable. Still, all he was really interested in was the new technique the boy had displayed last night. Such transformation spoke of a great skill.

"Well boy?"

Ranma's head turned towards the voice, not really registering anything but the impatient tone, still trying to grapple with his inner turmoil. Maybe Kagome had been right. Maybe it'd been too soon to come back to the Tendo's. He snorted, knowing that he'd done it out of typical masculine stupidity that insisted he didn't need help of any sort.

He'd always been able to handle anything that his whacked out life had tossed at him before. Why should now be any different? Just 'cause he had this thing inside him didn't mean that—

"Boy! I am talking to you!"

The Othergrowled at his old man's tone and he was a little surprised to find that it agreed with him at all. Ever since he'd left the Sunset Shrine grounds it'd been fighting him, demanding to be let **out.** But most importantly, it had been fighting him to go **back.**

The Other wanted absolutely nothing to do with anything here. All the Thingwas interested in was Kagome.

He shook his head in mute stubbornness. No, he wouldn't go back to the Shrine. He would deal with this on his own.

"Boy!"

Ranma swayed to the side, cleanly avoiding the blow that his now fully irate old man had thrown at him.

Genma growled, even when the boy had avoided his kick, he'd **still** been ignoring him! Such things were unacceptable!

"Genma!" A voice snapped out.

Turning around, the eldest Saotome male drew to sharp attention when he saw his master seated on the dojo porch beside Soun.

"Leave the boy be, the technique you are curious about has not been fully mastered yet." Happousai said imperiously as he drew on his pipe, trying desperately to hide his nervousness. If Genma fully managed to rouse what was inside the boy now... More sweat broke out on his brow.

"Master?" Genma questioned in confusion.

"You will see it in time," Happousai said in a firm voice, indicating that the subject was to be dropped. Puffing a ring of smoke he warily eyed not the boy's body language, but the strength of the boy's aura. The stronger the aura, the more awake the demon would be.

Ranma blinked, distantly curious that Happousai seemed to know what was going on. But he had more importing things to worry about—like contending with his own **real** 'inner demon'.

. . .

Kagome hummed slightly as she whisked the broom over the flagstone ground, pushing her own concern for Ranma to the back of her mind in order to enjoy the soft afternoon weather. She really didn't think that it had been a good idea for him to return to his own home so soon after the awakening of Inuyasha's soul, there was no **telling** what could happen.

"Kagome?"

Perking up in surprise, she looked up to see Ranma standing between the _torii_ pillars, that dazed expression that had been on his face when he'd left yesterday morning still slightly present in the glaze of his grey eyes.

"Ranma," she greeted warmly, concern worming deeper into her mind, "Would you like to come in?"

"Kagome…" He trailed off as he slowly walked towards her.

"Ranma? What's wrong?" She asked as she propped the broom against the stone fence.

" **It** wouldn't leave me alone."

"It?"

"This **thing** inside," Ranma growled angrily as he stood before her.

"Oh Ranma," Kagome said as her eyes softened, somehow knowing what **had** happened when he'd left yesterday. Like any young male, he was **fighting** what he didn't understand. And that was the very root of his problem.

"Ranma, don't you get it?" She said softly as she reached out and touched his cheek, "That 'thing' is **you.** "


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Kagome smiled faintly as she glanced outside her bedroom window, pen stilling on the paper before her as she watched the fight between Shippou and Ranma, Souta and Grandpa on the sidelines shouting encouragement or insults as the mood struck them. Boys, apparently some things never changed.

She was pleased to note this morning, that the dazed look in Ranma's eyes had disappeared after spending the night with them and that right now he appeared to be moving with his usual grace. Shippou's suggestion, of sparing together, had been the right one. Fighting was the one thing that had been a constant in both his lifetimes and it would allow that strict line that Ranma had erected between himself and his soul to bend. Something that desperately need to happen if he was to remain sane.

Kagome sighed softly as she slouched back into her seat, mentally kicking herself for not seeing the possibility that he would fight himself. It was something that was so typical for Inuyasha to do, why would Ranma be any different?

Sighing again, she dropped her pen and pushed back from her desk. She'd lost interest in her essay so it would be best to leave it be for now. Looking back out the window and listening to the insults traded between the foursome outside, she decided it was probably best if she called them in for lunch.

She smirked, if nothing else it would cut down on the cuss words being shouted.

. . .

Ranma smirked at Shippou as the fox barely managed to dodge from yet another School of Indiscriminate Grappling technique. Revelling in the sense of freedom that fighting always brought, particularly now as the Othermade no move to fight for control and instead was entirely content to fight **with** him.

The Other snorted as he dodged the fox's returning blow, taunting gleefully "You're going to have to do better than to use something I taught you!"

Kagome's sudden appearance in his vision almost caused him to stumble, leaving him to scramble away from Shippou's second attack, internally fighting the Other who suddenly insisted to be with the older woman.

He remembered the Other's surprise upon realising that this body was younger than the woman it was promised to, but soon after that had been its glee at realising the advantage that it gave him. Ranma grimaced, remembering quite vividly just what 'advantages' it had thought about. Shit, he'd never had sex with anyone before and suddenly all he could think about was the heated memories of doing so five hundred years ago!

"Yo, you okay?" Shippou questioned, his own demon senses sensing the sudden shift in his opponents own aura. The presence of the demon had suddenly gotten stronger, and spotting his mother out of the corner of his eyes, he could very accurately guess **why.**

"Fine," Ranma muttered as he shook his head, trying to dislodge the memory fantasies.

Shippou chuckled, remembering clearly his own reaction around Souten after meeting her again two hundred years after their first meeting and her 'challenge'.

"I'm sorry," Kagome said with an apologetic smile, "I didn't mean to interrupt, but Mama will have lunch ready shortly."

"No problem," Shippou said with a grin, "I was just about to give youngest a break."

"Youngster?" Ranma protested, "You calling a youngster, kit?"

Kagome's smile grew, relieved and deeply pleased to hear such things from Ranma. Speaking like he was meant that he was slowly accepting who he was.

"Ha!" The nine-tail's retorted, " **I'm** not nineteen years old!"

Ranma glared right back, "This **body's** nineteen twerp, the soul's over five hundred!"

Kagome giggled at the argument the two were engaged in as they began to make their way to the house, Souta and Grandpa stifling their own laughter as they trailed behind.

Ranma blinked as a thought struck him, "Huh, pray I never have to tell it to them."

"Them?" Kagome questioned curiously, Ranma had made comments like that before, but she'd never really been curious enough to ask before now.

"Yeah," Ranma said with a grimace and shrug of distaste, "The Tendo's and the others."

Kagome looked back at him as the group made their way into the kitchen. He'd mentioned the Tendo's before, something about living with them, and there'd been bits and pieces about the others such as being engaged to too many women, but not much.

"You've mentioned the Tendo's before, who are they? And what about these 'others'?" Kagome asked as she began to help her mother distribute the food.

Ranma grimaced again, figuring that he should probably talk about them. "The Tendo's are the family that my old man and I are staying with, there's Soun with his three daughters, Kasumi, Nabiki and Akane. Kasumi's nice, Nabiki's a mercenary bitch, and Akane's a hot-headed tomboy."

Kagome blinked at the descriptions.

"The other's I guess you could say are the weirdoes that my life got involved with someway or another. One of them is 'cause of the curse, another one is because my old man was selling me off in marriage to half the Eastern world and she actually tracked me down, same reason for the other two, marriage that is, and the rest is 'cause of school."

Kagome and the rest present all blinked. That had been confusing. But fascinating.

"So these 'other's'," Kagome questioned teasingly, "Do they have names?"

"Yeah," Ranma replied with a snort, "But it's easier just callin' them the Nerima Wrecking Crew."

Silence. Broken only by Ranma's contented slurping of his lunch. Slowly the silence dawned on him, looking up he blinked at the thunderstruck expressions of those before him.

"What?" He asked self consciously.

"The **Nerima Wrecking Crew**?" The chorus of voices was high and flabbergasted.

"You're a member of the Nerima Wrecking Crew?" Kagome finally managed to croak out.

"Yeah…" Ranma drawled slowly, getting the itchy feeling between his shoulder blades that now **might** be a good time to get the hell out of Dodge.

Kagome gave a little chuckle as she slouched back into her seat, "Why am I so surprised? You did have a knack for making trouble."

Ranma cautiously began to relax, maybe there was no need to flee.

"But still," Kagome said with a glint in her eye as she straightened. "That's no excuse for all the damage you guy's have done over the years. Isn't that right Shippou-chan?"

"Right," Shippou replied with a bloodthirsty grin, recognising his mother's mischievous glint.

"And you know what that calls for." Kagome said suggestively.

"Yes!" Five voices chorused.

Ranma decided that he'd relaxed too soon as he found himself buried underneath a pile of bodies, with one intention on their minds as they followed General Kagome's orders.

It seemed he'd been sentenced to death for past misdeeds—by tickling.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Ranma looked up at the sign before him, reading it aloud, "Full Circle Dojo. Is there any particular meaning to the name?"

"No, not really," Shippou replied, "It used to be a gymnasium but when I turned it into a dojo I never really got around to changing the name. And now it would be too late because most demons are familiar with it. Besides, my wife says it fits."

Ranma shrugged, "Whatever. What style do you teach?"

"Nothing and everything." Shippou replied with a short laugh.

"Huh?"

"The Full Circle Dojo is unique, even by demon standards because the only requirement is that you have to **__be__** a demon, or know of demons. Your fighting techniques and the training you have doesn't really matter, because here it's anything goes, much like you said your own style is. Some of my scariest members are the priests and priestesses actually. They may not know how to throw a punch, but damned if they don't know how to throw their power around." Shippou said, as he nodded in greeting to the doorman.

"Really… what does their 'power' do to demons anyway?"

"It depends on the spell and the power of the spell-caster. But it can be as painful as a light sunburn to three-degree burns."

"You mean it physically harms you?" Ranma questioned as they entered the building, feeling the __Other__ practically growl with glee.

"Not usually. It's your spiritual energy that gets burned. Not many religious spells affect our physical bodies, just our spirits." Shippou explained.

"Huh…" Ranma replied thoughtfully as they stopped in a doorway; looking at the people currently sparring in the dojo for a moment, surprised to find that be he and the __Other__ reached the same conclusions regarding each fighter's skill level. "Just curious… what about Kagome?"

"What about Mama?"

"What do her powers do to a demon?"

"She incinerates, spiritually and literally." Shippou answered bluntly.

Ranma threw the fox a sharp look of stunned disbelief.

"I'm serious, even before Mama became the Shikon-Priestess, her powers were almost unheard of and now… it's best to think of her as a superconductor when everyone else is merely batteries."

"Shit." Ranma breathed, the __Other__ nodded vigorously in the fox's support.

"Yes, shit." Shippou agreed grimly. "But enough of that, I'd like for you to meet—"

"Hey Fox!" A masculine voice called out sneeringly. "Who's the new pet?"

Shippou's lips twisted slightly into the beginning of a snarl as a dog demon strode arrogantly towards him.

The demon was wearing tight black jeans and a white t-shirt with the arms torn off. His long black hair was pulled into a low ponytail, a piercing above one eyebrow, and pointed ears decorated with numerous studs. He was the picture of rebellious youth. A sneer twisted his otherwise attractive face into an ugly expression.

Ranma blinked. His face a mask of befuddled confusion as the __Other__ grew stronger. "That's impossible," he blurted out, "He can't be Inuheishi. The bastard's dead."

The demon hesitated in mid-step, confused surprise momentarily wiping the sneer from his face. What did this human know about Inuheishi?

"This is Genken, Inuheishi's younger brother." Shippou explained with a growl, surprised himself that Ranma had seen the resemblance to Inuyasha's killer.

"Oh," Ranma replied, his expression clearing with relief.

"So? What's it to you?" Genken said with renewed arrogance. He loved rubbing it into the fox's face that it had been **__his_ _** brother that had killed the legendary Inuyasha, the nine-tail's adoptive father.

Even if it had cost his family their place in Court and demon politics, the Seibuinutaisho Family couldn't hide Inuheishi's crowning achievement, killing the Lord of the Western Lands younger brother. Making the power of their lineage a force to be reckoned with.

"Nothing," Ranma replied with a dismissive shrug, "It just meant I'd have to kill him again."

"What?"

"Let me tell you a little secret," Ranma whispered in a confidential manner, leaning towards the dog demon's face. Within he slid the leash free of his inner dog demon, allowing all that he was and all that he had been to slowly emerge.

Genken sucked in his breath as the human's scent suddenly changed. The guy no longer smelled like a human male, but now began to reek of great dog demon.

"Your brother's dead," Ranma growled in dog demon with bared fangs, eyes beginning to bleed demon crimson, "But I no longer am."

Genken sucked in a breath as he took a stumbling step backwards in shock. What did this bastard mean?

Ranma's growl deepened into a demonic grin, as the pupils of his eyes slitted and turned an iridescent blue. Along his cheekbones, faint ribbons of purple began to appear.

Staring in fear, the scent of a great demon overpowering, snippets of conversations about a demon with such a transformation flashed through Genken's mind. About a legendary half-breed that no demon had ever stood against alone. A half-breed who's blood lust when transformed made the battlefields of the Sengoku Jidai look like a walk in the park.

"Dogs apart!" A voice shouted within the dojo as the sudden flaring of aggressive demonic auras attracted everyone's attention.

"Let me!" A man said wolfishly.

The spell-casters merely rolled their eyes skywards, the wolf lord was always looking for a reason to fight, especially with the dogs.

Taking a breath, a senior priest, a man in his mid forties, released two bolts of purification power. Not enough to seriously harm the feuding dogs, but enough to definitely get their attention.

Genken reacted in the predictable manner, he instantly retreated, his own powers fading beneath the lash of the pure energy. Shippou-sama's companion however reacted in an entirely different manner. **__He_ _** reflected the energy bolt, sending it back to nip at the priest.

"Holy shit," one of the priestess' cursed wide-eyed.

"I didn't think _**_anyone_**_ could do that," a young wolf breathed with bug-eyed incredulity.

"I know of demons that can," the wolf pup's father and pack leader said forbiddingly. Eyeing the black haired stranger with renewed interest the wolf took an even deeper breath to catch and identify the demon's scent.

"But my lord, the only demons were know are the royal dogs!" One of the pack members protested.

"Exactly," he replied with a savage grin, "Hello mutt."

"Hello wolf," Ranma's grin was just as demonic.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Ranma lay sprawled out on the dojo floor, skin glistening with sweat as lungs heaved for breath. The spectators, especially the humans, sat with agape jaws and bulging eyes, not since Lord Shippou had seriously sparred against Lord Kouga a decade ago had they seen such intensity or skill.

"Damnit mutt," Kouga's voice muttered from across the room.

Tilting his head Ranma smirked at the sprawled form of the equally exhausted wolf demon. "What? You didn't think 'cause the body's human I can't still kick your mangy ass?"

Kouga banefully eyed his long time rival and declined to answer.

Ranma's smirk broadened as he finally sat up.

"Don't be such a sore loser Kouga," Shippou teased as he and the senior priest dropped the shielding spell around the room in order to protect the structure from demonic attacks and flying bodies.

"Neat trick," Ranma grunted heaving himself to his feet, thinking of all the times he'd had to repair the Tendo dojo after a fight with Akane, "Could use something like that back at home."

"So what are you called now mutt?" Kouga asked as Ginta and Hakkaku helped him to his feet.

"Saotome Ranma," Ranma replied.

The wolf lord nodded in acknowledgement before gesturing to the wolf demons accompanying him. "I'm sure you remember Ginta and Hakkaku and these three are my youngest pups, Kiba, Tsume, and Bara."

The two males and one female bowed respectfully to their father's opponent, confused by the conflicting scents of normal human and dog lord that they were smelling from him and unsure of what to do.

Ranma cocked his head at the three young wolves, memories coming to him, "So you an' Ayame had another litter."

Kouga nodded proudly before directing his next question to Shippou. "How's Kagome doing?"

"Handling it," Shippou responded honestly.

The wolf grunted in acknowledgement, "If she ever needs to get a way for a while, remind her that Ayame and I are always happy to have her stay for a bit."

Ranma frowned, definitely **not** liking the innuendo in the conversation.

"I would not worry wolf," an icy voice spoke from the doorway.

Turning, everyone's attention was drawn to the man standing there in a grey business suit, gold eyes framed by wire-rimmed glasses. Authority and power radiated from him.

Kouga and the other wolves bristled. The great demon lord's long held dislike for them still strongly evident—they were lucky Lady Rin was forgiving or the tribe would have been wiped out centuries ago.

Ranma fully faced the dog demon, memories flashing past his mind's eye. Early times of cruelty and hardship. Later times of welcome and comfort.

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru greeted regally as he looked at the reincarnated form of his sibling.

Breaths from those who hadn't known were sucked in in shock, particularly the three wolf pups. This was the Lord of the Western Land's younger brother?

. . .

Ranma looked with a half smile at the dog pups playing about on the lawn under the watchful eye of their caretakers and mother. It had been an experience meeting those rowdy balls of energy and being reunited with some of the elder ones who he remembered.

Turning from the window he looked at the opulent room of the library surrounding him, noting the items that had been acquired by his elder brother during his sixty year 'death'. His eyebrow quirked at one of the weapons on display.

"Isn't that…?"

"Yes," Sesshoumaru replied, seeing where he was looking.

"So what, I died and you took all my stuff?" Ranma said jokingly.

The dog shot him a droll look as he approached the display case, "Most of it I have passed on to your mate's family. I believe you'll find most of it in the shrine's storage, but there is something else that I must return to you."

Reaching into the elegant case Sesshoumaru lifted a battered and rust covered katana from its stand. Turning he walked to Ranma and handed the sword to him.

Ranma turned the ancient weapon over in his hands but left it sheathed; a faint smile on his face. "It's been repaired," he said softly, remembering his last vision of the sword was it snapping under a bomb dropped by a traitorous dog.

"Yes," Sesshoumaru replied, "My fang was used."

He glanced up at his brother and gave a lopsided smirk, "I had enough trouble learning how to wield first my father's fang, then my own, and now I've got to learn yours?"

"Can't do it?" Sesshoumaru said blandly.

Ranma's smirk turned into a true one. "Nah, I can handle it."

"But?" Sesshoumaru said with a raised eyebrow, sensing something remained unsaid.

Ranma's face became solemn as he looked at the katana in his hands. "In this life, I've never used a weapon of any kind. In fact, I rather despise the fact that people depend upon a tool instead of their own bodies to become better fighters. On top of that, this is a guardian weapon, meant to contain my demon blood."

Sesshoumaru looked curiously at the black haired man that looked exactly like his brother had during the new moon.

"I no longer have any demon blood."

The great dog demon blinked, he had not considered that fact. "That is true…"

Ranma held the sword out to his brother. "Could you keep it? Tessaiga(1) no longer has a place in this era."

Sesshoumaru looked at the sword then back at his brother. It appeared more had changed than just Inuyasha's appearance.

The dog inclined his head in acceptance as he reached out and took the sword, walking back to the case he placed the sword next to the two others that it had resided with since the end of World War II—Tenseiga(2) and Tōkijin(3).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Tessaiga: alternately spelt as Tetsusaiga, this sword is the treasure found in the tomb of Inuyasha's father. It was made in order for his father to protect Inuyasha's human mother. It grows in size and power whenever it is used to protect a human life. Eventually in a battle with Goshinki the sword is broken and must be repaired by Toutousai. The blade becomes difficult for Inuyasha to wield for a time. As Naraku grows in strength Inuyasha must power the blade up to break his barriers, which he ultimately does with the help of Shiori. ( _Cited from "Wikipedia" and "The Inu-Yasha Companion."_ )  
> (2) Tenseiga: this sword is Sesshomaru's blade forged by Toutousai. The sword is not able to cut, but can heal any wound. Mastery of the blade can even bring someone back from the dead. ( _Cited from "The Inu-Yasha Companion."_ )  
> (3) Tōkijin: after Inuyasha kills Goshinki, Sesshomaru comes upon his remains. He takes them to Kaijinbo who forges this blade for him. Tokijin is such a massively evil sword that it takes control of Kaijinbo and forces him to fight Inuyasha. Kaijinbo dies, and Toutousai warns Sesshomaru against using the blade knowing he will suffer a similar fate. Of course Sesshomaru is far superior than anyone else and wields the evil blade with absolute control. ( _Cited from "The Inu-Yasha Companion."_ )


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Well?" Akane demanded arrogantly as Ranma stepped though the doorway.

"Well what?" Ranma replied crossly, his body ached these past few days from head to toe from sparring with Shippou, Kouga, and occasionally Sesshoumaru relearning his natural demon attacks as well as the flow of the demonic energy through his body.

Kagome had explained, as his soul was that of a demon, his body was a natural conductor of demonic energy, which was why so many curses had attached themselves to him so easily in the first place. Even though all of his former demon gifts bled over into his new form, it was still difficult relearning and performing everything in an entirely human body. And then there had been something about his recent 'transformations' being the result of the demon soul coming to the forefront…

But he was still in no mood for any lectures from the hot-headed tomboy.

"Where have you been?" Akane demanded as she watched Ranma drop his shoes beside the door.

"Training," he replied shortly as he strode past her into the kitchen.

"Training where?" She demand as he took a bottle of water from the fridge and began guzzling.

Ranma paused, slowly lowered the bottle as he gave her a very cold look. Drinking the rest of the water he tossed the empty container into the recycle bin. Giving a careless shrug as his answer he moved into the living room.

"Saotome Ranma! I demand to know where you've been!" Akane shouted at his back as she stormed after him.

Ranma gave her an irritated look, "Why?" He demanded bluntly in return.

The youngest Tendo child stuttered angrily in response, before snapping, "That's not the point here!"

"What is the point here then?" Ranma asked raising an eyebrow arrogantly. "I am simply training away from the dojo and instead of a pleasant hello when I step through the door I get yelled at by **you.** " Ranma said as he jabbed a finger at her chest.

"This is my house and you live here so you have to answer my question." Akane snapped. "Where were you?"

"Akane, as you so often seem to forget. I'm legally an adult now and the only person that I am accountable to in this situation is your **father,** as he is the landlord. And Tendo-kun knows and approves that I'm continuing my training. So you have **no right** to demand to know where and how I spent my time!" Ranma snarled in return.

"Now excuse me, I have to go study for the classical myth exam tomorrow. Good night." With that he whirled on his heel, bid their avid audience a good night as well and made his way up the stairs to his own room.

"He's right you know Akane-chan," Kasumi said in a motherly tone of voice.

"He's right about what?" Akane whined.

"You're not his keeper." Kasumi replied bluntly. "As a courtesy he tells me every morning when he expects to be home, and so far he's always been extremely punctual. He's not getting into trouble, in fact if I didn't know for a fact that he's training I'd almost think he's getting tutored."

"What?" Four surprised voices chorused as one.

"I thought at least you would have known Saotome-kun, your son's marks have improved dramatically these past few months." Kasumi said with an innocent expression, gleefully drinking in their gape mouthed faces. "In fact, he'll have no trouble now graduating from his freshmen year of university. Unlike someone I could mention Akane-chan."

Akane turned red under her sister's sharp reminder of her own low marks. Mumbling an excuse she hastily left the living room to retreat to her own bedroom.

"That was out of character Kasumi-chan," Nabiki said as she returned to her accounting books for her university studies in commerce.

"Not really," Kasumi replied with an airy smile, "I merely believe that Akane-chan should set her priorities straight. She spends too much time worrying about Ranma-kun and there's really no need."

"Huh," Nabiki replied as she cast a glance at her eldest sister. Something was up.

"Besides, things are finally starting to settle down around here, and the peace is so nice. I don't want to see it disturbed."

Yep, Nabiki thought, something is definitely going on that could bear some looking into. Now that Kasumi had mentioned it, she hadn't see any other of Ranma's friends around lately either, except the Amazon girl and pizza cook when they made deliveries.

And if she remembered correctly, they hadn't seemed to know where Ranma was either. Who knows, she might even be able to answer her little sister's questions about what Ranma was doing after school for her… for a small fee of course.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Ranma stared without any real thought into the space above the teacher's head. Not really paying attention to the History lecture being given. It was about a period of time he'd lived through in his previous life anyway.

It was funny, how he'd felt these past two months as he'd slowly, as Kasumi had first put it, finished growing up. His personal life wasn't utter chaos anymore, but he didn't hold out much more hope of either the Sunset Shrine or the Full Circle Dojo remaining a sanctuary for much longer. They'd find him eventually and he wasn't really looking forward to the day they did.

Couldn't they all just leave him alone? This incensed nagging day in and day out about where he was going, who was he with, and just who was his fiancée?

One thing he didn't understand was that no one had notice that he was no longer affected by the Jusenkyo Curse. But then again he wasn't exactly being tossed into pools anymore so maybe that had something to do with it.

He was thankful for Kasumi shielding him from as much as she could. But it wouldn't be to long before Nabiki's mercenary instincts kicked into an even higher gear. Soon she'd really start investigating where and why he was disappearing so regularly. In fact, it might be best if he took up the Higurashi's offer to live at their place. It would simplify his life but first he'd have to say his good-byes here.

Now, how in the world would he manage that without everyone screaming blue murder?

. . .

"Thank you," Nabiki said pleasantly as she quickly calculated the amount all of Ranma's fiancées and enemies had paid her for her information. She surveyed the group gathered around the table eagerly waiting for her to begin speaking. Well might as well make the most of this.

"As you are all aware, after school Ranma no longer returns to the Tendo house."

"Mean tomboy scare airen away," Shampoo hissed as she glared at her rival.

Before Akane could make a retort and a fight break out between them, Nabiki hurried on. "I have managed to learn that he spends most of his evenings in the city in a place called the Full Circle Dojo."

The group of martial artists frowned, they'd never heard of this dojo or anything about a style related to it.

"Is it just a gym?" Ukyo asked curiously. Perhaps that would explain why it was unknown among them.

"No. It is a martial arts dojo."

"Well? Why don't we just go there and confront him?" Akane said angrily.

"We won't be able to get through the front door. Private membership. Invites only." Nabiki explained.

"How airen get in then?"

"It seems that the invitation was extended by the dojo master, Toyota Shippou."

"Toyota? Isn't that a line of cars?" Ukyo questioned.

"Yes, he's also the current Chief Executive Officer of the automobile company."

"How in the gods' names, did Ranma meet the CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation?" Akane demanded.

Nabiki shrugged, she was an information wiz, but she wasn't that good.

"Well, even if we can't get in, all we have to do is wait for him to leave and **then** confront him about what's he's been doing." Akane continued.

"I said he spends **most** of his evenings there."

The gang looked expectantly at the middle Tendo child.

"No, I don't know where he goes those nights he's not training at the Full Circle Dojo. It's sporadic enough that I'm not seeing a pattern yet so I haven't been able follow him successfully as of right now."

The group sat back with loud dissatisfied grumbles. Just what in the hell **was** Ranma up to?

. . .

Raising his knuckles to Kagome's bedroom door, Ranma gave a quick rap on the wood.

"Come in!" Kagome called out in a distracted voice.

Opening the door, he was unsurprised to see her seated at her desk like she'd been whenever he'd come through the Bone-Eater's-Well to drag her back for more shard hunting. Only this time he knew that she wasn't studying for junior high exams, but for senior university level medical courses. He spoke up hesitantly, "Is it alright if we talked?"

Kagome looked up from the paper she was writing and gestured for him to have a seat on the bed. "Sure Ranma."

Sitting on the comforter, he scuffed his toe against the blanket, at a loss as to where to begin.

Kagome smiled faintly as she got up and sat beside him. Sometimes his mannerisms were so much like Inuyasha's had been, that it was hard to separate them.

"Can I still move in?" Ranma blurted out.

"Of course Ranma, Mama's been hoping you would ever since we told her you're Inuyasha's reincarnation." Kagome replied wryly, remembering her mother's enthusiasm… particularly for 'more' grandchildren.

"It's just—it's—I don't know how to break it to the others."

"I'm assuming that 'the others' you're referring to are those referred to as the Nerima Wrecking Crew?"

"Yes."

"Well, why don't you try simply **talking** to them? They're still people after all. Ones that at times can be reasoned with I expect."

Ranma nodded slowly, yes, at times they did think logically. "But I don't know how to. Talk to them that is."

"Pretend they're me," Kagome suggested, "After all you can talk to me, and I'm a girl."

Ranma gave her a very droll look. "I don't ever want to think about them like I think about you Kagome."

Kagome bit her lower lip as she felt a blush creep across her face. More and more frequently she'd caught him looking at her with a hot, devouring look in his eyes. His grey eyes full of old sensual knowledge.

Refocusing on his face, she was unnerved to find it inches from her own. "Ran—"

"Shhh…" Ranma said softly as he placed a thumb over her lips to halt her speech.

Kagome's breath caught in her throat as warmth began to pool in her lower body. A warmth that intensified as Ranma's thumb traced her lips before his hand slid along her cheek into her hair to cup her head.

Ranma felt the aroused satisfaction hum through his body as he finally touched Kagome's lips in a possessively devouring kiss. The inner dog demon howling in predatory triumph as his mate lay beneath him once more.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Ranma's steps slowed as he came up to the door of _Ucchan'_ s. This one was going to be the hardest, for he actually had a genuine friendship with Ukyo. Even if this whole fiasco with the fiancées had almost ruined it completely.

He was grateful as he entered the restaurant to note that there were no customers present, probably because of the odd time he'd picked. Too late for breakfast but also too early for lunch.

"Ran-chan!" Came the cheerful call, followed by a brilliant smile. Ever since she'd paid Nabiki to find out what Ranma was up to Ukyo hadn't seen him herself and she'd been fighting this sensation of impending disaster ever since.

Ranma didn't smile in return, causing her worry to intensify. It didn't matter what they'd done or how bad the situation was, Ranma always had a smile for her. When he spoke, his tone was gentle, "I need to talk to you, Ut-chan. Some place private."

She gave him her brilliant smile again as she forgot her unease, maybe he was here to propose! Gesturing for Konatsu to take over she ushered Ranma upstairs into the private quarters.

"Well?" She said expectantly as she served him a soft drink and sat down across the table from him.

"Three month's ago… when I started disappearing in the evenings, the reason for that was I bumped into a woman who—"

"You met another girl?" Ukyo demanded sharply, cutting him off.

"I said a woman," Ranma replied just as sharply, "She's a senior at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University and almost has her medical Ph. D."

"Oh," she replied, relaxing, an older woman, so he hadn't been seeing someone else like she'd feared.

Ranma saw the tension ease from her body, and suspected the conclusion she'd come to. But he had no inclination to correct her false assumption. That'd just mean more questions. "Anyway, she is also a trained Shinto priestess and she was able to see my Jusenkyo Curse."

"Got splashed with some water did you?" Ukyo said sympathetically, just imagining the scene. No one really took well to seeing the Jusenkyo Curse… especially for the first time.

"No, I mean she saw the curse on me, not my cursed form. I had to tell her that myself."

Her eyes widened, Ranma had actually **told** someone about his curse? How weird.

"The point that she was interested in though, was why I hadn't had the curse exorcised."

She blinked, "I don't think anyone ever thought about that as a cure. Everyone's always been so focused on finding the Nanniichuan(1) that the other possibilities were ignored."

Ranma nodded in agreement, "Well she told me about the exorcism and offered to perform it."

"You didn't pay her to perform it did you?" Ukyo asked wide eyed once more, "You know that most priests and priestesses are quacks."

"No," Ranma said with a shake of his head, "She never mentioned anything about payment, just help doing the proper research."

Well that explained the frequent trips to the library that he'd been seen making during the first month.

"She managed to gather all the ingredients within three weeks of meeting me and then she performed the exorcism ceremony."

"Oh Ran-chan I'm sorry," Ukyo said sympathetically, jumping to conclusions again and believing what he was going to tell her. No wonder he'd been so distracted these last two months, to have hope offered and then so cruelly dashed, it made her want to strangle this unknown priestess.

"About what?" Ranma asked, confused by her sudden change in topic.

"That the exorcism failed."

"But it didn't."

"What?"

"The exorcism didn't fail." Ranma stated with a broad grin, "In fact the reason the preparation took so long was that she wasn't just going to exorcise my Jusenkyo Curse. But every magical incantation that I've ever drank, smelled, or been dropped into."

Ukyo blinked rapidly, unable to imagine in her mind the power needed for such a spell. "My god, **everything** **?** "

Ranma nodded happily and to demonstrate reached for his pigtail and un-knotted the dragon whisker he still used as a hair tie. His black hair unravelled from its confinement and although it was thicker and longer after his initially demon transformation, it no longer grew at a magically induced rate. For good measure he reached for the vase of flowers on the table and stuck his hand into the water.

Ukyo had to blink rapidly once again to clear the tears that unexpectedly came to her eyes. Ranma was cured!

"The thing is something did happen, like it usually does for me."

"What?" Ukyo asked sharply, her earlier anxiety reasserting itself.

"The exorcism overshot, not really an unexpected occurrence because of the amount of curses laid on me. But what the spell affected was rather significant."

"Significant? How?"

"What the priestess's spell damaged was the memory seal that is placed on all souls to be placed within a new body. Sometimes, if the soul's a really old one, the person will have dreams about it, actually residue memories, which most people have. Sometimes the soul memories are extremely strong though and a reincarnation can make the connection that those events happened in a previous life."

"So… what's happening? Are you having flashbacks about a murder or something?"

"No, I suppose affect and damage were a rather poor choice of words. She destroyed the memory seal entirely Ut-chan." Ranma said bluntly, "Every waking moment, he's there, in the back of my mind telling me things. Even when I'm asleep, it's his dreams that I have."

"You mean you're possessed?"

"No, he—I— **we** are the same. It's just a little hard blending the lifetimes together," Ranma said as he rubbed his forehead. "I'm actually what you could call a reincarnation, for not only do I look like what he used to, but now I **am** him or we're me. It's rather confusing."

"The priestess, who is actually a reincarnation herself, same soul but individual personalities and experiences for each of her lifetimes, her memory seal is still intact, is helping me through this."

"How can **I** help Ran-chan?" Ukyo asked, fighting her growing sense of dread that he wasn't telling her something.

Ranma took a fortifying breath before he began, he was not looking forward to this last little bit. "You can help me by no longer calling yourself my fiancée and leaving me alone."

" **What** **!** Why?"

Ranma didn't even flinch at her scream of denial. "I can't live like this anymore. A prize that you, Shampoo, Akane, and even Kodachi are constantly bickering over. I can't handle his memories and experiences and balance it with my life with you guys."

"What'd you mean?"

"Oh don't worry Ukyo," Ranma said with a bitter laugh, "My fiancées aren't the only thing I can't handle. I'll be moving from the Tendo house and taking up residence elsewhere. I feel it best if I simply cut ties with everyone."

"But **why** Ran-chan?" Ukyo sobbed.

"Because not only do I have the memories of my previous life I also have all of the instincts and training. Ever wonder why I have such an affinity for martial arts? Even when they preach peace and harmony, the martial arts are still ways of killing a man. And I used to do that—a lot." Ranma said grimly. "What's more, I am a demon soul."

"No, no, nooooo!" Ukyo wailed as Ranma stood.

"This is goodbye Ukyo," Ranma said gently, "The only promise I made to you still stands. The promise I made of friendship. It was foolish of you to cling to the promise made to you by my father all those years ago—the offer was never his to give."

"I won't give up Ran-chan!" Ukyo shouted as she surged to her feet.

"And as I said before, I am not a prize you can win. Goodbye and Ukyo...?"

Ukyo wiped away her tears and looked at the unyielding face of the man she loved.

"Grow up." Ranma said without mercy.

Ukyo crumpled to the floor, tears blurring her vision so badly that she never saw him leave. Something deep in her gut told her, that it was over. It was truly over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Nannichuan: the Spring of Drowned Man (Cited from "Ranma ½: Perfect Edition")


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Ranma sat on the edge of Kagome's bed, bent over with his head braced upon his hands. The image of Ukyo's tear streaked face still haunting him. His own emotions in turmoil. On one hand, he was relieved to finally be free of the emotional entanglement he had with the young woman. But on the other hand—he also hurt because he knew that he'd hurt her very badly and could… no **would** do nothing about it.

"Ranma?" Kagome questioned softly as she pushed the door open with a slight whisper of sound. "Do you want to talk about it? Or do you want to be by yourself a while longer?"

"No. Stay." He replied shortly without looking up.

She stood for an indecisive moment in the door frame, looking at his bent head, his body expressing total dejection. Wondering what to do, before kneeling onto the bed and manoeuvred her body behind him.

He heard the bed-springs shift within the mattress as the bed gave under her weight and was comforted when she settled into position behind him. A little surprised when her hands began to run soothing circles upon his back.

"Who did you tell first?"

"Ukyo," Ranma replied.

"I take it things went rather badly with her?" Kagome said sympathetically.

Ranma sighed heavily and answered sourly. "Rather."

"There's a saying about love. That if you love someone, set them free to fly away. And if they return to you, they are yours, but if they don't, they never were."

Ranma frowned for a moment in thought. "I don't get that. How does it apply to Ukyo?"

"It doesn't really, but in another way it does." Kagome replied with a shrug, trying to arrange a better explanation in her own mind. "Ukyo loves you, right?"

Ranma nodded slowly as he raised his head and twisted it about to look at her.

"The thing is, she's used that love in the wrong way."

"How?"

"She's using love to create feelings of guilt and remorse within you, by saying in a way, "I love you, why don't you love me?" But that's not love. Not true love anyway," Kagome said with a shake of her head, her brown eyes growing momentarily unfocused with memory. "Yes, with true love, you also experience the emotions of jealousy and possessiveness on occasion, but you also want the other person to be happy. No matter what the cost to yourself. You just… want them to be happy."

Ranma twisted around on the bed, going onto his own knees as she was. He knew what she spoke of. What memory was haunting her eyes. Reaching out he framed her face with his hands, drawing her attention back to the present as he had intended. "I choose you Kagome. Don't ever forget that. I _**_choose_** you_."

She gave a weak smile in response, still haunted by the pain. He had almost not chosen her, but fulfilled a promise made to a dead woman. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and shuddered before pushing the memories away.

Ranma watched her eyes open after a small tremor had racked her body. Her eyes were clear now, no shadowy memories within. But how long would they remain clear? He wondered. He had almost not returned to her when she had set him free to fly. It didn't matter anymore though, he had a lifetime to make her forget.

"So, who are you going to tell next?"

He blinked at her, momentarily confused by the sudden change of subject, as the emotion charged moment was lost. "Tell…? Ah, tell. Well, Ukyo I wanted to tell first, because she was once my friend and in the memory of that friendship I owed her that honour." He grimaced with a frown, "I don't really want to tell Akane yet because she isn't talking to me at the moment. Kodachi… pop's never betrothed me to her in the first place, that was something she thought up on her own so I don't have to **tell** her anything. So I guess that leaves Shampoo."

"The Amazon?" Kagome asked idly, glancing over to an ancient jewellery box from the Feudal Era that rested upon her desk.

"Yes," he replied with a great deal of evident dislike.

"What? You don't like Amazons? Strong, independent women who are able to think and fend for themselves?"

Ranma snorted in a very canine manner, "Kagome, if that's your definition of an Amazon, then yes I like them. I like you don't I?"

Kagome chuckled at his very diplomatic response, shifting her attention from the ancient box.

"It's those particular Chinese Amazons that I have a particular disliking for, particularly their blasted tribal customs. Like, where's the point of marrying a man if the only credential needed is that he defeats you in a fight? If a guy defeats an Amazon in a fight anyway he's most likely not a very nice person."

"No, he might not be." Kagome agreed, finding it rather barbaric herself. Why would any woman, particularly an Amazon, want to marry a man who she knew could defeat her in a fight? That way she had no way of defending herself if he turned out to be a real bastard who enjoyed beating up women.

"It probably started out as a requirement for the tribal man to prove that he could provide for his wife, but somehow got expanded to include anyone, which might not have been the best idea for the Amazons." Kagome hypothesised.

"Back to the main point. How the hell am I going to break my engagement with Shampoo? It isn't only her I have to deal with, but her infuriating great-grandmother as well."

"Hum… they're both Amazons, with an Amazons' honour to those they see as a matriarch or elder, correct?" Kagome questioned, her brow furrowing with thought.

"I guess so," Ranma replied with a negligent shrug. Not seeing where she was leading to.

"So all we need is for… hum…. You know, I think I'll come with you this time."

Ranma blinked. Okay, that had made no sense at all. "Are you sure you want to come with me? The confrontation with Ukyo wasn't pretty, I'm sure that the one with Shampoo is going to be even uglier."

"I'm sure," Kagome replied confidently as she once again looked at the wooden box that sat across the room. "I'm very sure."

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you." Ranma warned.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"Tell me again why you're coming with me while I have my 'talk' with Shampoo?" Ranma asked as he escorted Kagome to the _Nekohanten_.

"From what you've told me about Shampoo is that she has a very strong sense of honour, especially towards her family. So the way to deal with this fiancée thing is not through her, herself, but the matriarch she answers to, her great-grandmother." Kagome explained with a mysterious smile, "And I've got an edge that will simplify things nicely."

Ranma shook his head in bafflement, privately wondering just what trick she had up her sleeve.

"Airen!" Shampoo squealed excitedly as Ranma stepped through the door, but barely suppressed a hiss of outrage when she saw that he was accompanied by a strange woman. "Who's **she?** "

Ranma merely grunted, "Shampoo, where's Cologne?"

"Airen wish to speak with great-grandmother?" Shampoo said wide eyed.

Ranma nodded curtly.

A huge smile broke across Shampoo's face. The Amazon nodded enthusiastically as she latched onto his arm and dragged him to her family home above the café. "Great-grandmother! Airen speak with you!"

"Mukodono(1)," the Amazon elder greeted warmly as her great-granddaughter dragged him into her spell room. "Nii hao(2), who is this mukodono?"

"Cologne, this is Higurashi Kagome and would it be possible we talk about something without Shampoo or Mousse?"

Cologne suppressed the urge to frown. Higurashi… that name was important, very important. Eying the cool, composed woman who stood patiently at Ranma's side, a premonition shivered up her spine. "Of course, Shan-pu(3), you and that boy take care of the café while I talk with Ranma."

"B-but—" Shampoo protested in confusion.

"Go child!" Cologne ordered as she made a shooing motion with her hand. "Please, have a seat." She gestured to her two guests, her unease becoming more pronounced when Ranma actually insured his companion's comfort before sitting beside her.

"Elder Cologne, as Ranma has said, my name is Higurashi Kagome and I recently corresponded with you about an exorcism for a Jusenkyo Curse." Kagome began.

Cologne nodded sagely, now she remembered, but there was something else… "Ah, so you are the priestess that contacted me. You performed exorcism? It successful?" She had attempted her own exorcism on her great-granddaughter but had not had the power capable for the spell to be successful.

The woman nodded. "Yes, it was successful. Ranma no longer has his Jusenkyo Curse or any other."

Cologne felt her eyes widen, "Such power in one so young." She murmured, thinking furiously. There was something else that was teasing her mind. And her sinking feeling of doom deepened.

"Yes, well I am the Shikon-Priestess."

Cologne nearly fell out of her seat. **The Shikon-Priestess?** What was the woman who was called the Queen of the Priestesses doing performing a mere exorcism? And if the spell was successful, then what was she still doing with Ranma?

"However, during the exorcism the soul memory seal that all humans have was destroyed by the complex spell. And Ranma's previous lifetimes were revealed to him."

Cologne tisked, this was not a very good thing. It caused a great deal of confusion in one's spirit.

"Elder Cologne, I would like for you to look at his spirit now."

Casting a glance of curiosity at the priestess, she did so, slipping into the Third Eye trance that allowed all magic users to see a person's true self.

"Aye-yah!" She screeched as her eyes flew open in shocked fear. "He's a demon!"

"Demon souled," Kagome corrected, "Yes in his previous life he was a half-breed dog demon."

"But that is impossible! Demon souls can not be reborn in a human body!"

"I don't believe you were listening to me," Kagome reprimanded gently. "I said he was a **half-breed,** thus his soul is capable of being born into either race." She waited patiently for the elder Chinese woman to regain her equilibrium before continuing. "I would like you to take another, deeper look please Elder."

Cologne took a fortified breath and allowed her senses to awaken on the metaphysical realm once again. This time she had previous warning, so was not surprised by the overwhelming demonic soul that was now awakened within her son-in-law's body. As the priestess had requested, she probed deeper, looking past the obvious. Trying to ignore when the demon soul poked back.

What she saw surprised her as badly as the demon soul. Ranma's soul was what romantics would call 'soul-bonded' with another. But what the supernatural bond was, was a union of souls chosen by the very Gods themselves. Not human convention. Two separate souls mended into a new soul and then divided between two bodies. And it was with who the other half of this soul resided that upset her deeply.

"You are a single soul," Cologne said flatly as she returned to the physical plane. "Bound by your very souls, promised beyond death, you can love no other. No wonder none of my potions or spells worked. He was already sworn to another."

"Yes Elder Cologne and that is why I request that, as a prior claim that can not be disputed has been made, that your great-granddaughter, the Chinese Amazon Shampoo cease her pursuit of Ranma as her husband."

"And if I do not?" Cologne questioned. Even if they were soul bound, as this priestess was not of the tribe there was still a possibility of her great-grandchild's success.

"Do so, or be foresworn," Kagome replied evenly as she held out a medallion towards the Chinese woman.

Cologne felt her world tilt on its axis. That medallion was one of only five that had been given throughout the tribe's existence to honorary sisters—sisters that were Elders of Elders. Two had been given centuries ago to a priestess who hunted the Shikon-no-Tama and the other to the demon slayer that had begun the fighting arts for the tribe.

Why had she not made the connection? Higurashi… it was also the name of one of their founding women—the priestess that had trained the tribe's foremothers in magic. And this woman was something neither mortal man nor immortal demon could ever hope to stand against. For some would say she was a goddess given a physical form.

"I see we are in agreement then?" Kagome said with a bland smile as she tucked the medallion back away.

Cologne nodded solemnly, "Yes my Lady-Elder, I shall see to it that Shan-pu ceases her pursuit of your soul-half."

"Good then, I hope you have a good evening then and I hope you enjoy your journey home." Kagome said formally as she stood and accompanied by Ranma she left.

For long moments the Amazon Elder stared without sight into the empty space before her. That fire, skill and tenacity had not quite been lost to the tribe. But the honour of his marriage was not to be bestowed upon their house lineage. Perhaps it was for the best... For it was obviously not meant to be. And the Lady-Elder Shikon-Priestess was right. It **was** now time to return home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Mukodono: (Cantonese) son-in-law  
> (2) Nii hao: (Cantonese) hello  
> (3) Shampoo's real name in Cantonese. (Confirm? Deny?)


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"Okay, care to tell me what that medallion is?" Ranma asked impatiently, as he watched her tuck the metal disk back into the jewellery box upon her desk and carry the box towards him.

"What it is, is a mon(1)of the Chinese Amazons oldest lineage." Kagome explained as she climbed onto the bed beside him, placing the open box between them.

"Then why do you have one and how did you get it in the first place?" He asked with exasperation, as he looked at the medallion resting among other treasures in the box.

"Why I have one is easy. I am an honorary sister of the Jo-ketsu-zoku and a Lady-Elder." Kagome answered.

"And the difference between an Elder and a Lady-Elder is…" Ranma trailed off suggestively, momentarily sidetracking.

"Is that, one precedes the other, much like a General outranks a Lieutenant General in the army." Kagome explained.

"Fine, I get that now. Back to the part where you explain how you got it."

"I am one of the founding women."

Ranma blinked. Then blinked again. "The whole story please, no more bits and pieces, it's too confusing."

Kagome chuckled and began. "It begins back in the Feudal Era, about the time you and Miroku were recovering from your battle with the demon from the Continent, Menomaru. Where he was from was the Kingdom of Qin, which is called China today."

Ranma nodded, he knew that. What was she getting at?

"Specifically he was from the area of Jusenkyo. And while you were occupied with healing your wounds, Sango, Shippou, Kirara and I with Myoga's guidance returned to Menomaru's home after hearing that a particularly large amount of men had been slain in retaliation for the demon's death by Menomaru's followers that had remained behind in China."

. . .

**Sengoku Jidai, China, Jusenkyo**

"Are you sure this is the place Myoga-jiji?" Sango questioned the elderly flea demon as she looked down at the ground Kirara was flying over, taking note of the abundance of springs.

"Certainly," the flea assured her as he sat upon the demon slayer's shoulder.

Sango felt Kagome's arms tighten around her waist, glancing back at her friend she was surprised to see a slightly sick expression upon the priestess' face. "What's wrong Kagome?"

Kagome grimaced as she fought to quell her queasy stomach.

"Miasma," Shippou guessed correctly from his place between the two women.

"Not just miasma," muttered Kagome sickly, "Hatred as well. Can we land please? I think I'm going to throw up."

"Down Kirara," Sango ordered hastily, directing the fire cat towards a nearby ridge. The small group settled onto the ground, Kagome sitting down with her head hanging between her knees and taking great gulps of air.

A shrunken Kirara jumped onto Sango's shoulder, causing the flea demon to scramble for a new perch, finally locating one atop Shippou's head.

After some long moments, Kagome raised her head, feeling that she had successfully stilled her rolling stomach.

"Is it better now Kagome-chan?" Shippou asked anxiously.

"Yes, Shippou-chan, but I think it would be best if we walked from here." Kagome reassured the fox kit wanly. Climbing to her feet she slung the bow and quiver case over her shoulder and picked up the demon to reassure him. Nodding that she would be alright to Sango, the two women and three demons began to walk.

Sango's eyes constantly scanned the forest around them, comforted by the weight of Hiraikotsu against her back, part of her attention also on Kirara who would warn her of any danger.

"Wow," Shippou breathed large eyed as they broke through the trees onto a ridge over looking a grassy plain. It was not the beauty of the sight that struck him, but the carnage that lay below, great furrows torn into the earth, corpses of humans and demons alike scattered about the battle field.

"Myoga—Myoga?" Sango asked, looking about for the flea, "Damnit, Inuyasha's right, that demon runs off every time there's a hint of danger."

"Listen," Shippou suddenly said as he swivelled his head to the right, Kirara's own ears flicking towards a sound only the two demons could hear.

"What does it sound like?"

"Fighting," Shippou said sadly.

"Come on then, let's get going," Sango said as the sounds of battle drew close enough for the two humans to also hear.

.

Conditioner snarled at the boar demon bearing down at her as she levered her dead father's sword up. The beast may kill her but she swore that she would take it down with her.

"For my village!" She screamed as she lunged forward, gasping in pain as another demon swiped at her, claws slashing though her side. Raising her weapon at the new threat she gasped once more when the moth demon exploded.

Blinking in astonishment, she heard something large and heavy whirl though the air, jerking her head to look behind her she stared in shock as a massive weapon smashed though a line of advancing demons.

The weapon doubled back tearing through other demons, her jaw dropping Conditioner watched as it returned to the black clad figure that wielded it, the weapon's force dragging the woman back across the ground.

The woman shouted something in a foreign tongue to another strangely dressed woman.

The second one, wearing garments of green and white drew back her notched arrow and let it fly towards a clump of demons. The arrow glowed with a spiritual light, passing through the demons and causing them to explode just as the moth demon that had threatened her had.

The battle drew to a sudden standstill. Humans and demons alike shocked at the ferocity and deadliness of these new fighters. Suddenly the demons snarled in renewed anger, Conditioner barely managed to duck beneath the blows of another boar but her sword was wrenched from her hands.

Wide-eyed in horror she scrambled backwards to avoid the slashing hooves and tusks.

Suddenly another demon, far smaller than the rest appeared between them. He shouted something, his tongue as strange as the women, blue fire blasting from his hands to envelop the boar. Green eyes glanced back at her for only a moment before the demon disappeared into the fray once more.

.

Kagome rolled her shoulder muscles as she looked at the carnage, relieved that they had arrived in enough time to save all but a handful of the women the demons had been fighting.

"That was a lot of demons," Sango commented as she watched a giant Kirara gnaw on the skull of a bird demon, keeping a wary eye on the foreign women who were watching them and their two demon companions with equal wariness and a great deal of fear.

"Yeah, but most of them fled," Kagome said grimily, shadowing her eyes as she raised them skyward and looked at the direction the demons had run.

"Aye," Sango said grimly, "And they'll be back."

Kagome nodded in agreement as she unstrung her bow and turned her full attention to the Chinese women.

.

Conditioner watched the strangers warily, grateful that she'd been able to find her father's sword, as she wrapped up Perfume's ribs.

"We must thank them," Perfume said as her ribs were bandaged.

Conditioner glanced up in surprise at the woman that had become their leader since their men's deaths. "What do you mean? They consort with demons!" She protested loudly.

Perfume gazed serenely down at her younger sister as she spoke mildly, "Those demons also saved us. I even recall the fox saving you in particular."

Conditioner scowled as she looked down at her work, tying the bandage off. "I could have saved myself."

Perfume did not state the obvious, that Conditioner had been in dire need of saving. "No matter, we shall thank them none the less."

Conditioner's scowl deepened as her sister stood and joined by some of the other young widows, walked towards the two women, making sure to give the cat demon a wide berth.

She listened resentfully as Perfume expressed the gratitude of the village and invited the two women and their companions to join them. Scowling even more as the magical archer replied slowly and uncertainly, but clearly in their own tongue.

Conditioner was down right furious when the two women offered to stay and help fight the demons and Perfume accepted! They could fight the demons without those women's help!

. . .

**21** **st** **Century, Japan, Sunset Shrine**

"So, what happened?" Ranma questioned, turning the ancient mon over in his hand.

"We stayed, Sango taught them how to fight and gave them instructions on how to create weapons and I helped the two priestesses in training that they had." Kagome said with a shrug as she stretched out on the bed. "It wasn't till we were leaving though, that one of the girls gave us that… the younger sister of the leader actually."

"I remember being so surprised when she did, she hadn't liked us being there… I think she was resentful of us because our presence meant that they couldn't fend for themselves against the demons."

"What was her name?" He asked curiously as he placed the mon back into the ancient box and set it onto the floor.

"Conditioner," Kagome answered quietly, staring up at the ceiling, remembering the scene clearly, the young Chinese woman running up to them and pressing the mon's into their hands just as they had stepped thought the village gates to return to Japan.

Ranma grunted as he stretched out on his back beside her, they'd had names like that back then too?

"Kagome?"

"Yeah?"

"How'd you know Chinese?"

Kagome chuckled as she rolled over to look down at his face, "Sango asked me the same question you know."

"Well? How do you?"

"I've got Chinese cousins. It's been a few years since I've seen them but we still phone each other on special occasions like birthdays.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Mon: n. family crest (heraldic)


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Ranma paused in the doorway, watching with amusement as with a yell Akane demolished the stack of cinder blocks before her. "What's the point?"

"What?" Akane asked as she whirled about to face him.

"What's the point? All you're doing is ruining some perfectly good blocks." Ranma said as he leaned against the dojo door frame.

Akane merely glared at him, declining to answer his comment. "What'd you want Ranma?" She demanded angrily.

"To talk," Ranma replied without rancour.

Akane raised her eyebrows in obvious disbelief and said sarcastically, "You talk? That requires some thinking. Are you sure you're up to it?"

Ranma ignored her poor attempt to rile him. "I really think that this fiasco should end."

"What 'fiasco'?"

"This thing with me being engaged to practically half the population of Japan and China."

"We can talk about it when you get rid of your other fiancées!" Akane snapped in a dismissive manner.

"I have."

" **What!** " Akane screeched, stunned.

"I've ended the 'engagements' with everyone else already."

"So what do you want to talk about?" Akane asked warily.

"I want to end the agreement between you and myself as well."

"Who do you think you are? That you can just, out of the blue, one day decide that you don't want to be my fiancé anymore?" Akane demanded, storming over to him and jabbed him repeatedly in the chest with a finger.

"It wasn't out of the blue," Ranma said with a shrug, "I've been thinking it for a while. Besides, you've never said at any point that **you** agreed to marry me. It's always been something that's been decided for us."

"So, what about our duty to our families and our martial arts schools?"

"What about our family's duty to **us** Akane?"

"What'd you mean?"

"Pop's always preaching about, 'being a man', 'honouring your father', and 'doing a son's duty'. Well I'm sick and tired of hearing it!" Ranma growled as he moved away from her. "I hate those words—honour, duty, **bah!** They have no real meaning for Pops **or** you!"

"How dare you say I have no honour Ranma!" Akane screeched as she whipped out her mallet and sent it flying towards him.

" **Sankon Tetsusou!** "(1) Ranma snarled, his suddenly clawed hand lashing out and ripping the wooden hammer to shreds.

The force of the energy moving through the air knocked Akane harshly to the floor. Leaving her staring aghast, up at Ranma in sudden wide eyed fear. This was an attack he had never used before and something told her that it was even deadlier than his others.

"That wasn't what I said. That's the thing about you Akane, you never **really** listen to me. Which is only one of your faults, you overreact to every little thing. And I hate to admit it, but you **do** have penis envy."

She sucked in a breath, anger burning. How **dare** he say such things about her! It just wasn't true!

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Ukyo Akane, grow the fuck up!" Ranma snarled mercilessly as he crouched over her.

She slapped him, eyes burning with rage. Taking deep pleasure as his head snapped to the side and a red mark slowly began to appear.

With deliberate slowness he turned back to look at her, and then a clawed hand closed without mercy around her jaw. Claws digging into flesh, drawing drops of crimson blood.

Akane's fear returned and escalated into pure terror. As she watched as Ranma drew her face inches from his. His grey eyes turning a glowing, pulsing blue than the whites of his eyes bled red. Along his cheekbones, ribbons of a dark purple appeared. A wild, purely predatory aura radiated from him.

"I've made my decision Akane. And just so it's clear to you, I am no longer engaged to you, Ukyo or Shampoo. I'll be moving out tonight." Ranma said with excruciating deliberateness. His voice all the more menacing for its reasonable, gentle tone.

"And Nabiki-san? I wouldn't develop those pictures if I were you. I don't think you'll like what they'll show you." Ranma said aloud as the mysterious markings and dangerous aura around him faded. With a jerk, he pushed Akane away and stood, then turned and left the dojo.

Akane touched her hand to her chin and started in incomprehension when her fingers came away damp with blood. In all their fights, Ranma had never actually physically hurt her.

"Nabiki-chan?" Akane said faintly as she looked wide-eyed up at her sister.

Nabiki stared after Ranma. She'd heard the entire discussion between her little sister and the Saotome son. Then that transformation that he'd undergone…. she had seen signs of it before the night following his disappearance. What did it all **mean**?

In any matter he could not be allowed to treat Akane in such a disgusting manner. He would have to pay for the insult to the Tendo family. And she'd start by having a **long** talk with the boy's father, Saotome-kun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Sankon Tetsusou: lit. "Soul Shattering Iron Claw", but in the anime this claw based attack of Inuyasha's is called "Iron Reamer Soul Stealer". ( _Cited from… I forget where. Oops._ )


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"What's wrong Ranma?" Kagome questioned softly as she stroked his damp hair.

"I lost control today during my talk with Akane." Ranma's shame filled reply was muffled against her breasts.

"Tell me about it," she encouraged him, nudging him more to the side to allow her more breathing space. He complied but his arms closed more firmly about her.

"I'm not sure where to start. I was going to start off by talking about the exorcism and then move on to how we'd both changed and weren't suited to each other. But somehow I got side tracked and we started arguing like usual."

"Then she hit me and I just… lost it for some reason, it was like a switch had been turned inside of me." Ranma confessed.

"It was probably your demon instincts," Kagome reassured.

"What'd you mean?"

"Well it hasn't happened yet during your training with Shippou, because you know you're learning. But in ordinary circumstances, an alpha demon, when challenged, such as being struck, by a beta demon, will react to reinforce their command, usually in a very physical manner."

"Alpha?"

"You're an alpha, a pack leader. A beta is what you would call the other members in a pack, and the omega is the outcast, the scapegoat. You were an omega yourself before becoming an alpha actually. As it is, you're still an alpha even though you now have a human body."

"Huh," Ranma said as he propped himself on his forearms and looked down at her still flushed features. He nodded slowly, now that he thought of it from that perspective, it made sense and he wasn't ashamed about losing control like that. Akane's slap had triggered his instincts and because he wasn't use to controlling them yet in this body, his reaction had been automatic and brutal. Just as it would have been if he'd been disciplining a demon under him.

"Also the fact that's she's a girl might have also contributed to it," Kagome continued.

"How?" Ranma asked curiously. As Ranma he hadn't like fighting girls. As Inuyasha he hadn't cared one bit whether his opponent was male or female. What did Kagome mean?

"You see, you're mated and the insult might have been twice as offensive to you." Kagome explained. "You don't really get along with her from what you've told me, and you have been engaged to her for a long time as well. Your instincts might have seen it almost as a form of adultery and in guilt, and an attempt to make amends to your mate, me, you overreacted. Now that's just a guess, I might be way off and it's just the alpha thing." She concluded with a sensual smile as she looked up at him.

With a purely male smile of response Ranma shifted his body more firmly over hers. Practically purring with pleasure at the sensation of her bare skin gliding against his. His satisfaction increased as he felt her passionate tremble beneath him and smelled her growing arousal.

"Enough of that," he growled as his head dip down towards her. They had the rest of the evening to themselves and he knew **just** what they were going to do.

. . .

Nabiki nodded to herself with satisfaction. It hadn't even been a week since Ranma had moved out and she'd got just the ammunition she needed to stir things up. She'd even be considerate and not charge Ranma's rivals, her family, and Genma for the pictures she was about to show them. The damage they'd cause in revenge would be more than enough compensation for her.

"Well Nabiki-chan?" Akane demanded, as she drummed her fingers against the table top. Ever since Ranma had drawn blood and insulted her honour, she'd been itching to get even.

"I've found out where dear Ranma-kun's moved to."

"Well don't keep us in suspense Nabiki-san, tell us where that honour-less bastard's hid himself!" Ryoga growled. He hadn't witnessed the incident in the dojo but he'd certainly heard the story that an upset Akane had poured out to P-chan.

"He's moved into the Sunset Shrine."

"A shrine?" Kuno said in disbelief, "How dare he befoul a holy place with his base presence!"

"Yes, well," Nabiki replied as she fanned out some photographs on the table. They were no where nearly as scandalous as some others she had but she was saving **them** for later.

The colourful pictures drew a rather usual picture of a regular family. Only Ranma was also featured in them in surprising ways. Playing Blind's-Men's-Bluff with a group of black, white, and red-haired children and **he** was the one blindfolded. Battling it out with video games against a brown-haired teenager about his own age. Sparring in usual free-style fashion against a slightly older looking guy, creating the usual devastation to their surroundings. Than there was a shot of him **actually making supper**! The last one was of him having what looked like a rather heated debate with a middle-aged silvery-white haired man wearing glasses.

One thing that also stood out in all the pictures was the presence of a black haired and brown eyed young woman. Sometimes she was in the background and at other times right up front. In some she was wearing a university uniform or regular street clothing, in one traditional garments of a shrine maiden, and still others medical attire.

"I see her!" Shampoo said suddenly, pointing at one of the pictures where she was clearly shown. "Since she go to café, Shampoo no see arien."

"She actually visited your restaurant?" Ukyo asked in surprise. Making a few mental connections of her own. This must be the **priestess** that Ranma had mentioned during his visit.

"Her name is Higurashi Kagome." Nabiki said as she placed three main photos before her. "The white haired man's name is Seibuinutaiso Sesshoumaru and his wife is Rin. This is Toyota Shippou who incidentally calls Higurashi-san mother. His wife, Souten, is the woman beside him. "

"Mother?" Kasumi questioned incredulously as she picked up the photo for a closer look. "She looks so young."

Nabiki shrugged and placed more profile shot photos onto the table, "That's practically the only thing I've heard him call her. Anyway onto the others. The brown-haired guy that's about Ranma's age is Higurashi Souta, Higurashi-san's younger brother. That's her mother and the senior in the priest clothes is her grandfather."

"So that worthless son of mine is trying to find a new family is he?" Genma grumbled, he was not about to let his future of easy living off the boy go so easily.

"It seems he's done a **little** more than that." Nabiki said slyly as she swiped the pile of photographs to the side and place five, larger ones onto the table. What they portrayed stunned everyone.

They all started in bug-eyed incredulity. Though none of the shots were shockingly graphic, the clearly naked, entwined limbs, devouring kisses, passion flushed skin and often tangled hair, painted a brutally truthful picture of what the two people were engaged in.

"That **bastard!** " Akane hissed furiously as she stared at the images. A sediment vocally and violently echoed by all Ranma's former fiancées and his three rivals. That deceitful, two-timing son of a bitch! Saotome Ranma would pay!

"Oh how could he dishonour the agreement between our families!" Soun bawled as tears streamed relentlessly down his cheeks.

"He has shamed the Saotome name," Genma said as he drew himself upright. It was time that he took a firm hand to his disobedient son. Even if he had to use the Forbidden Technique, he would make the boy see reason.

Without a word, Akane, Ryoga, Kuno, Kodachi, Shampoo, Mousse, Ukyo, Soun, Genma and Nabiki stood and left the Tendo house. Their destination and less than honourable intentions written clearly on their faces.

"Heh!" Happousai crackled gleefully as he looked at the pictures again, "I didn't know the boy had it in him!"


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Stopping to catch her breath, Akane rested at the top of shrine's strenuous staircase. Just how many steps had there been? She'd quit counting at two hundred seventy-six. Squaring her shoulders she marched up to the house and pounded on the door.

An immaculately dressed, russet haired young man in a dark business suit opened the door, his eyebrow quirking upwards when he saw the odd-ball crowd gathered outside the door. "Yes. How may I help you?"

"I want to talk with Saotome Ranma." Akane said through gritted teeth.

He opened the door wider and stepped back, "Please follow me, I'll see if he's available." As soon as they had all filled in, he shut the door and turned down the hall, gesturing for them to follow.

Pausing he motioned for them to wait as he entered a room, from within they could hear him speak. "Father, some people are here to see you."

"Oh," Everyone heard Ranma's voice answer in annoyance. "Well come in than."

Stiffly they entered the room. The occupants re-seated themselves to make room for the new numbers. A stunningly handsome man, wearing glasses with short-cropped white haired in a charcoal suit sat beside an equally beautiful woman who was dressed in a soft pink blouse and skirt, her long black hair elegantly restrained atop her head in a chignon.

Beside the woman was the youngest Higurashi child, the boy Souta. A rather ordinary teenager wearing the navy coloured uniform of a private high school. Too his left was his grandfather, in his usual Shinto priest garments, as well as his mother. Matching dark brown hair and dark eyes, she wore a blue sweater and floral print skirt.

Beside the eldest Higurashi woman was her daughter, the young woman named Kagome. She was wearing a green turtleneck and black slacks. Beside **her** was Ranma, in his customary kung-fu pants and Chinese-style shirt.

It was at Ranma's side that the man who'd answered the door seated himself beside another lovely black haired and eyed woman whose hair was confined in a single long braid that hung down her back. She was dressed in a woman's business suit that was a warm golden-brown.

"Good evening," Mrs. Higurashi greeted cheerfully, giving them a smile reminiscent of Kasumi's.

"Good evening," Akane returned stiffly, "I am Tendo Akane, and this is my father Soun and my sister, Nabiki. With me are Hibiki Ryoga, Kuonji Ukyo, Shampoo, and Mousse, as well as Kuno Tatewaki and his sister Kodachi. And this is Saotome Genma."

With each introduction, a name was attached to a face in memory, and a thorough and brutal inspection made. Each member of the Nerima Wrecking Crew had to fight the urge to fidget when they were evaluated in turn.

"As I'm sure you already know," Ranma drawled as he looked pointedly at Nabiki, "This is Seibuinutaiso Sesshoumaru and his wife Rin. This is the Higurashi family, Higurashi Asami, her father, and her two children Kagome and Souta. And these two are Toyota Shippou and his wife Souten."

"Excuse me for a moment," Kagome murmured as she stood, "I have to go make a phone call."

Ranma gave a brief nod as he continued to eye his visitors. "Well what do you wish to talk about?"

"You're disgraceful attitude and recent actions my son!" Genma began angrily. "It's time you come home and do your duty!"

Ranma merely gave a humph of amusement as his lips almost twitched into a smile. His answer was bland and toneless, "I have done my duty."

"How dare you make such a claim! You—"

"Well if it isn't 'father abuse'," Sesshoumaru interrupted smoothly as he leaned forward, the room in the temperature seemed to drop visually. The martial artists quelled beneath the most brutal Soul-of-Ice Technique(1) they'd ever had the misfortune to encounter.

"Enough," Ranma said softly, his demeanour unruffled as he flicked a sudden rim of hoarfrost from his glass.

"As you wish… **brother.** " The man settled back, his frozen gold eyes never leaving Genma's face. Giving the man a definite hunted feeling. Everyone else blinked at the man's deliberate statement.

"Thank-you. I have no wish to clean up your mess."

" **Ah…** but that's what one's employees are for," came they very urban reply.

Kagome chuckled softly as she re-entered the room and took her seat beside Ranma once again, as she had caught the last of the two brother's comments. "I think that a more detailed explanation is needed by many of them. Ranma's never been really good with words and that seems to be the problem here. Now where to begin? Three months ago… or five hundred years?"

"I think you better start with your first meeting," Shippou suggested, eying the confused expressions before them, "I don't think they're really ready for the extended version but there doesn't seem to be much choice."

"Okay, here goes. One day on a girl's fifteenth birthday she fell through a magical well located on a shrine grounds. The well was a time travel portal between two periods, Japan's Feudal Era and the present day 20th Century. While there she meet a half-breed dog demon named Inuyasha and learned she was the reincarnation of a priestess. Also during her first visit she broke a magical item and soon she and Inuyasha had to travel about Japan collecting all of the pieces. During their travels they were joined first by a fox demon, than a Buddhist monk, and lastly a demon exterminator and her two-tail cat demon hunting companion." Kagome took a sip of water before continuing.

"They had trouble along the way though, as a half-breed Inuyasha was ostracised, especially by his pure demon brother. The brother was after the sword their father had left Inuyasha because it was capable of slaying a thousand demons with one blow. There was also an evil demon that was seeking the pieces of the magical item and he would stop at nothing to collect them. Soon, their quest became more of a battle between the friends and the evil demon than a search of the item's pieces. But in the end they managed to kill the evil demon, reassemble and purify the item and fall in love in the process."

"Who did?" Mousse asked eagerly, he rather enjoyed this rushed story and wanted to hear the detailed version.

"The girl from the future fell in love with Inuyasha. And trust me, that was really bizarre than, as religious people and demons were constantly trying to kill each other. It took her a while to convince him she was telling the truth. However, she was from the future and thus had no place among the past so the gods sent her home. But not before promising the two lovers they would be together again."

"That's so sad," Kodatchi murmured as she passed a tissue to her snuffling brother.

"Yes well," Kagome said with a dismissive shrug, "Three months ago I bumped into Ranma on the street and when he returned my purse to me we actually started talking about his Jusenkyo Curse. Anyway I mentioned an exorcism and started talking about performing one for him—"

"I'll just bet you did you bitch!" Akane snapped, angry at the woman's pointless story and craving to take a swing at both her and Ranma.

"Pardon me?" Kagome said with a surprised blink ****.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Soul-of-Ice Technique: one extreme end of the "Hiryu Shoten Ha" or "Dragon's Heaven Blast" technique which was taught to Ranma when he became weak due to Happosai's Moxibustion technique. The manoeuvre is executed by allowing the opponent to have a "hot" battle aura, while Ranma's aura remains "cool." Ranma then draws the opponent in a spiralling path and executes a punch. The resulting collision of hot and cold plus the spiral creates a tornado. ( _Cited from "Ranma ½: Perfect Edition."_ )


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

"I'll just bet you preformed an **exorcism!** " Akane snarled again.

Kagome arched an eyebrow as she eyed the young woman, taking a breath to calm her own spiking temper. It was just as Ranma had told her. The girl was quick to anger and didn't look before she leapt. Perhaps she could help the Tendo girl to see the error of her ways.

"I preformed an exorcism," Kagome continued when Akane made no other comment. "Ranma, would you care to show them?"

"Let me Mama!" Shippou chimed enthusiastically. He'd love an excuse to dunk his father and get away with it.

All the Higurashi family and demon's present tried vainly to stifle their chuckles of amusement. They knew what the fox was thinking.

"I don't think so," Ranma said sharply as he raised a glass of water and dumped it over his head, shuddering at the cold temperature. Sesshoumaru's earlier use of the Soul-of-Ice Technique had turned it into liquid ice.

The Tendo's and companions stared in shock as with a dog-like shake Ranma shook off the excess water, but still remained male.

"I though the only cure was finding the Nanniichuan!" Mousse cried out, the first to find his voice.

"No, there are other ways to remove a Jusenkyo Curse," Kagome said gently, "And given time I could also remove the curses you have yourselves."

Akane fumed even more as the others with her bombarded the Higurashi woman with questions. Forgetting in their enthusiasm the real reason they'd come here. And it was **not** to exchange pleasantries with the witch. "Enough already! Remember why we're here!"

"Why _are_ you here Akane-san?" Ranma asked curiously, eying the tomboy.

"Because of your disgusting conduct! Especially with that **woman!** " Akane replied enraged, jabbing a finger in Kagome's direction. "Nabiki-chan, show them."

With a sly smile Nabiki placed the multiple pictures, perfect blackmail if she did say so herself, onto the table

Ranma groaned, what had Nabiki managed to get on film this time? With a felling of dread he reached for a few of the photographs and looked. His eyes widening and he flushed a deep red when he saw just what Nabiki had taken.

"I didn't need to see that!" Shippou yelp in dismay as he slapped the images facedown, "That's something no son needs to know!"

"Ah!" Mrs. Higurashi exclaimed happily as she flipped through a handful, "Grandchildren!"

Souta followed Shippou's actions, only he passed the photographs onto Kagome, saying dryly, "I agree with you nephew. I didn't need to know anything about my sister's sex life either."

Biting her lower lip, Kagome with a growing sense of outrage flipped though some photos. How dare they invade her and Ranma's privacy! She would feel embarrassed later.

"Humm…" Sesshoumaru hummed softly, "They're very well done." Everyone stared at him. He raised a white eyebrow at the expressions on their faces. "They are superbly taken you can not deny that. This woman is an excellent photographer."

"My brother, the mercenary." Ranma said in dismay as he slapped his palm against his forehead. "You and Nabiki-san are going to get along like a house on fire."

"Just as long as it's not my house," Rin quipped. Evicting chuckles from the demons and Higurashi family.

"Akane-san, we are still waiting to learn the reason for your visit." Kagome drew everyone's attention back to the matter at hand. "Though those photographs prove that you've been spying on my self and my family, I still wish to know _why_. After all isn't it you who are the first to insist that the former engagement between Ranma and yourself was arranged by you parents and you had nothing to do about it?"

"Yes but—" Akane began indignantly.

"Than I really don't see the problem here." Kagome stated, cutting her off. "You did not wish to be engaged to him. He did not wish to be engaged to you. In fact, it was his father who arranged two of his marital prospects, first to a member of the Tendo family and than to Ukyo. The engagement to Shampoo came about through **her** tribal law, and was something he would have avoided at all costs if he'd know the results. In short, Ranma has never actually **proposed** marriage to **anyone**!"

"That's not the point here!" Akane shouted, glaring at the older woman.

"Than what is the point?" Kagome demanded, leaning forward across the table to pin everyone with a steely look.

"It's… he can't just…" Akane's angry answer was disjointed, as she groped for a logical response.

"He can't just what?" Kagome edged on.

Akane fumed silently, not knowing what to say without revealing her own feelings. No one, especially not Ranma, had the right to cast her aside. Wasn't she the most sought after girl in school? Wasn't she the one who all the males fought over? She was the only one who could break up a relationship.

"He has his duty to perform," Genma stated arrogantly. "A son's duty to his father. A practitioner's duty to his martial arts school. And a man's duty to marry."

"Duty…" Kagome said slowly, drawing out the word distastefully. "How do you Saotome-kun, define duty? Is this **duty** you speak of allowing yourself to take advantage of his sense of family, his honour of the martial arts, and his desire for his own family? Is his **duty** to you, to allow you to control him for the rest of his life?"

Genma shifted upon his seat uncomfortable, what the woman was saying was a little to close to the truth for comfort. Ranma was his son. It was only right that the boy did such things for him.

"What about my duty to myself?" Ranma asked rhetorically, his voice silky with barely concealed menace as he eyed the man who had fathered the body he now inhabited. "The duty to honour my **own** self. To hold true to what I believe and do what I know is good and right, even if it gains me nothing. But especially to honour what I once was and may be."

"What do you mean by that?" Ryoga asked without his usual belligerence, understanding what his rival spoke of for perhaps the first time since they'd meet. "What I once was and may be?"

"I am a reincarnation," Ranma replied, a little surprised by the directionless boy's perception.

"What?" Chorused eight voices.

"A reincarnation," Kagome repeated, enjoying the blank looks wreathing the faces of those that had caused Ranma so much trouble and now threatened the new future he was trying to create.

"What is reincarnation?" Shampoo questioned, not understanding the term and unable to translate it mentally into Chinese.

"A reincarnation is someone's whose soul has been reborn into a new body and time," Mrs. Higurashi explained kindly, hearing the Chinese accent of the young woman, and guessing the reason for the question.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Akane demanded.

"Everything Akane-san, everything." Ranma replied seriously.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Akane continued to fume as she listened to Ranma and that—that **witch** continue to talk. Hah! ' _Like I believed in any of this crap_ ,' Akane mentally sneered. ' _No way in hell Ranma is the resurrection of some feudal demon_.' There were no such things as demons! And it was lunacy and bordering on delusional to state that those two were soul-mates.

' _What's was so special about the witch anyway_?' Akane wondered spitefully as she eyed the black haired and brown eyed woman seated across for her. ' _The witch isn't nearly as attractive as myself_ ,' she thought smugly, in fact the witch's features were unremarkable and one could almost call them plain. ' _Nor does the witch seem to be any sort of fighter—probably one slap would take her out and send her bawling home_ ,' Akane though with a great deal of satisfactory pleasure.

' _And she's old! Probably older than Kasumi is._ 'That was one point that bugged Akane the most, the fact that she hadn't apparently lost Ranma to a younger woman but to an older one!

"Look," Akane rudely interrupted the witch's speech about some deal with the gods, _ha! as if_ , "I don't give a damn about any of this. All I care about is that Ranma has—"

"You haven't been listening to a word we've been saying have you?" Kagome cut the tomboy off with amusement.

"I told you I don't give a shit—"

"It isn't about **you** ," Kagome cut the youngest Tendo off again, growing impatient, "It has noting to do with you, it's about **Ranma** and **me**. There **is** no **you**."

"You thieving bitch!" Akane snarled as she lunged across the table, her rage boiling over at that statement.

A streak smashed her backwards.

Akane crashing through a wall out into the shrine grounds to lie sprawled in a heap of wreckage upon the flagstones.

A snarling demon crouched before her.

The Nerima Wrecking Crew were on their feet, feeling as they were moving though molasses at the speed of Ranma and the others who were on their feet and scrabbling though the new exit hole long before they had even registered the attack.

"Akane!" Ryoga cried out disbelievingly as he and his companions scrambled after them all, watching horrified as Akane scrambled desperately to avoid Ranma's attacks.

The Wrecking Crew were in shook. Ranma had never done this before. Yeah, he'd beat Akane constantly in sparing matches, but he had never been so **brutal.**

"Filthy bitch," Ranma rasped in a low snarl that was not his voice, "How dare you attempt to attack my **mate.** "

The Wrecking Crew all shuddered at the hateful menace they heard resonating within the stranger's voice. This was not their Ranma, but a wild predator who radiated a viciously powerful aura to their marital art's senses. All their instincts were screaming at them that to interfere was to die.

And that was Akane's fate—she was going to die, they had no doubt about it.

"Father!"

The Wrecking Crew barely spared a glance at the russet haired man or the term of address he had used, their eyes locked on the gut churning scene before them as Ranma beat Akane down again and again, toying with her.

"Father stop it! She's only human! You'll kill her!" Shippou tried once again to get though to the enraged demon, knowing that Sesshoumaru would do nothing. The Demon Lord may live in a modern age but he was archaic when it came to demon matters, especially demon family matters.

"Father!" The fox demon yelled again, finally lunging at the dog demon souled human.

Shippou only got one hit in before a fist smashed into his cheek, sending him skidding backwards to crash up against one of the torii pillars. The wooden structure shuddered beneath the bone crunching impact.

But the fox had achieved his aim, Ranma was momentarily distracted allowing Akane a few desperate moments of breathing space.

Those from Nerima stared in shock, not because of the force of the impact which was not an uncommon feat among them, but by what they now saw.

While still wearing a dark business suit, it was no human that lay slumped against the column. Nine golden red fox tails were now evident, lips curled back in a grimace to reveal canine incisors, claws upon his fingertips, elf ears framing his face, slitted green eyes glittered at them.

The silver haired man snorted dismissingly, never taking his eyes off the two combatants. "Foolish kit, you know better to stand before a demon in basukanda(1)."

"Bah-sue-kan-dah?" Shampoo piped up questionably, sounding the term out, recognising it as **not** being Japanese.

"A demon defending his mate," Souten translated loosely as she looked with sympathy and some amusement at her mate before turning her attention back to the still raging battle.

Kagome steeped forward, a rosary string hanging loosely in one hand. Her bronze eyes cool, expression calm and serene. She could feel the rage burning though her soul link with Ranma but knew that if he did kill the girl he would never forgive himself when he regained himself. It was time for her to put a stop to this.

She raised the string of beads before her and let herself slip into the Third Eye trance.

Those around her hastily backed away, the Nerima Wrecking Crew in particular stared wide-eyed as it seemed as though she was caught within a windy vortex, clothes and hair flying upwards the stone beads beginning to glow.

. . .

Images flashed thorough Ranma's mind as he easily avoided Akane's retaliating attacks unleashing brutal ones of his own that the Tendo girl was having greater and greater difficulty avoiding.

A conflicting clash of memories. Memories of his childhood as Inuyasha. Memories of his childhood as Ranma. Memories playing, overlapping, snippets of events that had made him and had lead him to this fight.

Akane constantly bashing him. Bad mouthing his honour and manhood. Constantly belittling him and now trying to take from him the one reason for his existence. Lunging at his mate. Awakening everything that was demonic within his soul.

Than he felt something, a stirring of power that was not his own. Kagome. Her power rippled out, sliding against his own, caressing and merging with his aura. Bring with it the soothing touch of reason.

Yes Akane may be a self-centered, spoiled brat, throwing tantrums whenever she didn't get her way, letting pride rule her actions and her sharp tongue. But that merely showed what she was… a child who'd been coddled by all those around her.

The red haze clouding his vision faded, leaving him to look down at the battered form that lay snivelling before him.

A child. That was all she was.

"Pathetic," he finally spat and turned on his heel. She was worth no more of his time.

He regarded all of the people gathered before him that had witness the fight. Genma, Soun, Nabiki, Ryoga, Kuno, Kodachi, Shampoo, and Mousse. They were all of his—no Ranma's—past and that was were they would remain. He may be called Ranma now and to a certain degree **be** Ranma, but he was Inuyasha in his soul, his future was with his demon family, his brother, son and most importantly his mate.

"Take her home," he spat out, "I disown the lot of you."

Genma drew himself up, affronted by the boy's words, no son could disown his father! "As your father I forbid it!" He raged, "You have a duty to the school—"

_Smack!_

The sound of flesh striking flesh resonated in the air. Surprised they all looked from where Genma lay on the ground to the man in the grey suit that towered menacingly over him. Even Ranma was surprised at Sesshoumaru's interference.

"Listen and listen well panda," the pure dog demon began, golden eyes glittering within the icy mask of his face, "You may have fathered that body but the soul is of my brother. As he is of the Seibuinutaiso lineage and a Lord himself this makes this issue a demon matter."

The elder martial artist looked up with disbelief at the form towering over him. He was a master of the Indiscriminate Grappling Technique! No man should be able to attack him unaware!

Canine gold eyes narrowed though Sesshoumaru's expression remained stone cold as he realised the man upon the ground was not really paying attention to what he had to say. Well, that could be fixed.

Jaws slackened and half steps were taken backwards as the image of the silver haired business man wavered to reveal a predatory creature with red slashes across his cheek bones and a blue crescent moon crowing his brow, silver fur draping over his right shoulder. Pupils elongated and grew slitted as they remained their burning gold colour. He also had elegantly pointed ears and nails that were now claws.

"Demon!" Genma shouted, a shout echoed by many others.

"Keh!" Ranma snorted, "You only realise it now? After my son has shown his true fox self?"

"Son?" Ukyo squeakily asked assisting Akane to her feet, wide-eyed as the nine tail fox climbed to his feet to stand beside the silver haired demon. Shippou gave the pizza cook a toothy grin and chuckled when not just she flinched away.

"Yes," Ranma drawled in amusement, declining to clarify the true relationship.

"Demon or not!" Genma shouted surged to his feet, preparing himself to unleash the Forbidden Technique upon the foul creature, "I will beat you!"

Ranma rolled his eyes, ' _please, as if a human could ever defeat the Lord of the Western Lands._ '

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the human. ' _The panda reminds me of that poisoner that almost took Inuyasha's mate from him during their quest to restore the jewel._ '(2) But unlike then he couldn't just kill the infuriating bear off and be done with it. Modern legalities, how he cursed them sometimes.

"Die cursed demon!" Genma shouted as he lunged at the great demon lord.

Sesshoumaru sighed, humans, as stupid as ever. Two fingers flicked out, a whip of golden light emerging to slash through the air. Intercepting Genma's charge.

A flick of a red lined wrist and the end of the whip curled around the human's ankle. Fingers twisted, the energy whip snapped forward yanking Genma's feet from beneath him.

The martial artist stumbled but soon regained his footing and began the dance that would unleash the Indiscriminate Grappling Forbidden Technique.

One of Sesshoumaru's silver brows quirked upwards as the human began a familiar move. ' _Does the panda really think he can take me down with a flea attack?_ '

Other eyes familiar with recognising demon attacks noted the move with disbelieving interest as well. When executed properly the demon attack was quite effective and would allow an attacker to use their opponent's energy against themselves. But you did not use a flea attack on a dog. It was just plain stupid—not to mention suicidal.

Genma leaped forward after performing the last deadly step—and crashed into flagstone.

"Stupid panda," a voice growled in his ear from behind, Genma's eyes widened in pure fright. How had the demon avoided the Forbidden Technique?

"I am the Demon Lord of the Western Lands and you're only a cursed bear," Sesshoumaru snarled as he unleashed a vortex of energy upon the panda, battering the bear's physical and spiritual body.

The Wrecking Crew who were witnessing the battle realised that like Akane's fight against Ranma, Genma's battle against that truly demonic creature was no contest. Genma would only live if the demon deemed it so ****.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Basukanda: a purely fictional term that I just randomly slapped together.  
> (2) The reference specifically is to Mukotsu the fat poison user from the Band of Seven (Shichinin-tai)


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Genma's bruised, battered, and bloody body crashed onto stone as Sesshoumaru released the martial artist from his energy attack.

Practically everyone winched at the man's condition. Sesshoumaru had been even more brutal than Ranma.

"I trust I have made myself clear panda?" Sesshoumaru asked rhetorically, the panda was unable to speak any longer.

Kuno who had been watching the proceedings with horror and dismay suddenly remembered something. Soon after he had first met the crass lowlife, Nabiki-san had spoken of how the bastard had possessed his Pigtailed Goddess! The foul demon had not possessed his Pigtailed Goddess, he had devoured her!

"Foul beast!" Kuno burst out, startling everyone with its unexpectedness. "Not only have you harmed Akane-san but you have eaten my Pigtail Goddess!"

"Pigtail Goddess?" Shippou quirked an eyebrow quizzically at Ranma, feeling that his adoptive father knew of what the apparent swordsman was speaking of.

Ranma rolled his eyes and started to mutter a 'Don't Ask' statement but was forestalled by his mate's unexpected move.

"I think it's time some truths be told." Kagome stated calmly, her face serene as she pulled out more rosaries to hold them loosely in one hand. Brown eyes flickered over those affected by the Jusenkyo Curse.

Her eyes did not harden as the beads began to glow but rather grew more intense, more focused on a sight only she could fully see. Those effected by the cursed spring water began to shifted about nervously as something rubbed their instincts wrong—all but Genma who was still to injured to move of his own free will.

Words were spoken in an archaic tongue that none but the demon's present understood. Wooden beads pulsed and flickered with light before dispersing like sparklers from the priestess' hand to reform around four human wrists.

The Shikon-no-Tama residing in her chest glowing, Kagome spoke one word.

"Change."

The heads of the four who had been looking with surprise at the rosaries now adorning them jerked up. The sounds of the animals that they had been cursed to become emitting from their throats as the transformation of the Jusenkyo Curse was forced upon them. A duck, cat, panda and piglet appeared.

If Ukyo had not been supporting her, Akane would have collapsed in shock. Ryoga. Ryoga was P-chan. Her mind was numb with the revelation. She just couldn't absorb it... Ryoga... Ryoga was....

Ranma snorted as he looked the stunned expressions of those few Wrecking Crew members who hadn't known of the Jusenkyo Curse and the fascinated ones of the demons and Higarashi family members.

"Animals are not only what they can become," Kagome spoke softly, the light within her body pulsing with a weird rhythm.

"You mean...." Kuno trailed off as he tried to assimilate what he'd just witnessed.

"The woman that you speak of was nothing more than a cursed being."

"Who... who was she?" Kuno questioned hoarsely, devastate to learn that his Pigtailed Goddess was the result of a curse.

Kagome arched a brow at the traditionally dressed man than said softly, "I think you know."

Slowly, hesitantly, Kuno looked at his companions who all turned their gaze from his own to look at... Ranma. He looked at the back haired teen to find Ranma standing with a belligerent expression on the boy's face as he was glared at. No, it could not be.

"Yes," Kagome spoke once again, voice still gentle but undeniable, intuitively knowing what the bokotu(1) carrying man was attempting to deny, "His cursed form was the body of a woman."

For a long moment Kuno started at the man who had been his rival in everything since their first meeting. Than he burst into tears and fled.

The Wrecking Crew who were familiar with such actions watched Kuno flee with various degrees of sympathy while the demons all snorted in disgust.

"Humph," Kodachi muttered before drawing herself full erect and facing the Higurashi woman, "You may have defeated my family but we shall not rest until our honour is restored. Mwahahahaha!"

Kagome blinked as the gymnast disappeared in a swirl of black rose petals. "Odd."

Ranma snorted, she had **no** idea.

Kagome smiled faintly at the noise her mate made as she turned her attention back to the animals. Her eyes darkened once more as power hummed through the air. "Return."

Instantly those cursed returned to their human forms, blinking still in shock they stared at the priestess. How the hell had she done **that**?

The sharp voice of the Amazon Elder spoke unexpectedly from between the torii pillars.

"Great-Grandmother!" Shampoo exclaimed in surprise.

"Thank you for responding to my phone call so quickly Elder Cologne." Kagome greeted with a smile.

"Why you phone great-grandmother?" Shampoo demanded as she glared at her rival. After the woman had left the café her great-grandmother had said they were returning to China—without her husband!

"Come Xian-pu, Mousse the boat is leaving in an hour. We must be on our way to the harbour." Cologne said regally, shocking the other members of the Nerima Wrecking Crew.

"You're leaving!?" Ryoga blurted out.

"Yes," Cologne said sharply. "We no longer have a reason to remain in Japan. Good-evening Lady-Elder Kagome, I apologise for my great-granddaughter's intrusion."

"None shall be taken." Kagome replied. "May the gods grant you strong winds and gentle sailing."

"Thank you for your blessing Lady-Elder." Cologne replied with a bow of deepest respect. Turning the Amazon Elder began descending the stone staircase, Shampoo and Mousse looked forlornly at their friends and rivals.

"Shai shen,"(2) Shampoo finally said in a voice choked with tears before obediently following her great-grandmother.

Those remaining watched as Mousse followed the Amazons down the staircase, his path crossing with Kasumi's as the eldest Tendo daughter appeared atop the stairs.

Kasumi surveyed the scene before her, her expression serene. She looked with curiosity at the two demons she saw and the battered forms of her little sister and her father's friend. "Come," she spoke quietly, "It is time for us to leave."

"Ryoga-kun?" Kasumi asked as she walked towards the injured form of her sister, "Would you help me with Akane-chan?"

Ryoga hesitated, biting his lower lip as he looked at the tomboy. He'd seen her expression when the priestess had revealed that he too was cursed by the springs. His hesitation lasted only a moment before he nodded his agreement. Even if he didn't what to deal with the aftermath of the revelation of the truth, Kasumi did need his help to carry Akane home.

Kasumi stood beside Akane and brushed lose strands of hair away from her sister's battered face. "I hope you learn some things from today."

Akane blinked up at Kasumi, learn? What was she suppose to learn? The train of though was momentarily lost as pain washed over her as her weight was shifted from Ukyo to Ryoga as he picked her up.

Kasumi looked over at her other sister, silently passing a message to Nabiki.

Nabiki fumed mentally as she looked at the camera she held. The matter however was taken out of her hands.

"Souten," her mate spoke softly, "The camera."

The thunder demon glanced over and saw that indeed, one of the Tendo's carried a digital camera. Good, that meant it would be easier to destroy. Dark eyes narrowed, lighting leaping in the air and electrocuting the piece of equipment.

Nabiki squawked in shock as she dropped it, electricity visibly fizzing along the casing. She looked up and blinked to discover that the woman in the brown suit, though she still looked remarkably human was also a demon. The mercenary girl fumed mentally as she stormed to join her family, knowing instinctively that it was that demon who was responsible for the loss of her camera and the pictures it carried.

Kasumi fought the smile that wanted to quirk her lips. Nabiki wasn't use to someone else getting the better of her.

"Father, would you carry Mr. Saotome?" Kasumi asked of her remaining parent.

Suno looked at his eldest and nodded in agreement, moving to his friend's side he hoisted Genma's battered body over his shoulder and began to carry him from the shrine grounds.

"My sincere apologise from disturbing you, I hope you will forgive us." Kasumi addressed the demons and Higurashi family.

Akane scowled at her sister from Ryoga's arms, why was Kasumi apologising? It was Ranma and that demon that had beaten them up.

"Of course," the priestess replied solemnly, "No ill will shall be bore towards you."

Akane looked back at the priestess over Ryoga's shoulder as the other inhabitants of the shrine gathered around the woman, scowl fading as she was carried away. The Tendo's, Ryoga, and Ukyo all began the long descent of the shrine steps.

The priestess… she reminded her of Kasumi. Was that what she was missing? But what did Kasumi have that she didn't? Slowly realisation dawned. It wasn't really about what the two women **had** but what she **didn't** have. Maturity. Inner strength. Personal confidence in themselves that allowed them to **listen** to others and make decisions without being judgemental.

She remembered all the times she'd jumped on Ranma, instantly blaming him for things that didn't go the way she wanted them to. Never listening, even bluntly ignoring him whenever he spoke harshly of others, thus ignoring the truth he attempted to tell her.

How many times she wondered as she looked up at the face of the boy that carried her had Ranma tried to tell her that P-chan was more than her pet pig? He had also insisted on one other truth that she'd dismissed… the truth that till now she had been a child.

As she looked at the back of Kasumi, she resolved that that would end, she would do as Ranma had told her. She would grow up and than maybe she'd find her own happiness and be fitting for someone. At that last though her eyes were drawn back to the boy—no man that carried her.

. . .

Ranma sat at the top of the shrine steps between the arch of the torii pillars, his mind wondering to the fight that had taken place that day. He remembered in particular, not his anger and disgust towards Akane, but as she had been carried from sight feeling a small welling of compassion for the youngest Tendo child.

She was a child, but not to long ago, before finding Kagome again, he too had been a child.

"What are you thinking of?" Kagome asked as she dropped onto the step beside him.

He smiled faintly at her before turning his eyes back to the glowing orb of the setting sun. "Nothing really."

"Yeah," Kagome playfully said sceptically, "That's why you look like someone's just hit you on the head."

Ranma shook his head fondly, the smile fading from his face but not the expression of contentment in his grey eyes as Kagome leaned against him. "Do you think they'll be back?"

"Nah," was Kagome's answer as she traced lazy patterns on his thigh.

Blinking in surprise at her response he looked down at where she rested against his shoulder. "What do you mean, nah?"

"I gave them a little something," Kagome answered with a dismissing shrug.

"What did you give them?" He asked, curiosity piqued when her fingers hesitated briefly.

"The rosaries…"

"What about them?" Ranma quirked an eyebrow at her bowed head.

"I linked the curses' transformation to them."

"What do you mean?"

"Getting splashed by water won't transform them anymore, removing the rosary will." Kagome answered hesitantly as she looked up at him

"Huh," Ranma grunted as he turned his eyes back to the sunset, wondering if those cursed by the springs had discovered what had been done to them. He smiled at the images that formed in his mind. "Thank you."

Kagome smiled as she too continued to watch the dying sun alight the sky in a wash of reds and oranges. She'd though it was a nice gift too, though they had all brought Ranma grief it was that path that had brought him back to her.

_As we decree it shall be. Two made one. This one soul divided nevermore._

_**The End** _ **__**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Bokotu: also bokken, wooden sword  
> (2) Shai shen: (Cantonese) bye-bye


End file.
